The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation
by Dixie Darlin
Summary: 2part fic based upon the growing up trials of Tod and Copper's children, including kidnapping, death, revenge, and finding who you are. Completed!
1. A Letter for Amos

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

So sorry it took so long, but I had to get hooked up to the college's server and it took FOREVER!!! So at long last here's the new story!

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of The Next Generation. This fic will be divided into two parts–part one will deal with the children of Copper and Tod in the younger days, and part two will deal with the children in their older days. Part two will be much more dramatic than part two, so when I get to that part in the fic, I may have to change ratings on you guys!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter One: A Letter for Amos **

Amos Slade frowned when he read the letter that had recently arrived in the mail. It pertained to his younger brother, Calvin, who earlier in the summer had been jailed for the near death of the endangered mountain lion. Apparently, Amos was the only close relative the government could find, therefore the reason for the letter.

It mainly talked about how Amos would have to drive into town whenever suitable and pick up several items of interest from the local police station. Since Calvin was in jail, he could not use any of the things in his house, and it had been taken into the state's custody, so they had no use for any of Calvin's possessions. And obviously, they believed that Amos did.

The elderly hunter sighed, stuffing the letter into his buckskin jacket and heading back into his run-down cabin. He didn't have time to go to town and take care of that ridiculous business. He had work to do around the farm, he had the dogs to tend to...one of which had belonged to Calvin.

Whenever his brother was put in prison, Amos took it upon himself to "adopt" his female Blue-Tick Coonhound by the name of Belle. It didn't seem too big a problem—she had already made good friends with his Bloodhound-mix Copper...they even had three puppies together! The pups, two boys and one girl, were now about a month old and almost old enough to go out and learn how to track down game animals.

At the present moment, the three restless children were engaged in a game of tag while the three adults were sleeping. Ace and Smoky, the two oldest, were laughing and carrying on while their little sister, Beulah, tried hopelessly to tag one of them.

"Don't go so fast!" she complained, starting to grow tired. "I'm sick of being _It_."

"Not our fault you're too slow!" Smoky replied, barely dodging her swinging paw in an attempt to tag him. "At the rate you're going, you'll be _It_ all day!"

The three of them may have been born the same day and had the same parents, but they each definitely had their own personalities. Ace looked a lot like their father Copper did when he was a puppy, and being the eldest, he was the more mature member of their little platoon. Beulah was of course the baby, and she looked a lot like their mother Belle, and since she was the only girl, she was kind of spoiled. Smoky, the middle one, was black with tan markings and he was pretty misunderstood. He was the rebel of the group, always wanting to be group leader and constantly bragging about how brave he was...that is until something extremely scary happened, and then he would usually be the first one running for safety.

"Well, she _has_ been chasing us around for a long time," Ace had to admit, after issuing a "time-out". "Maybe one of us should be _It_ now."

Smoky made a face. "No way, that would be cheating! I'm not being _It_ until Beulah tags me!"

"But I've been _It_ forever!" the girl puppy exclaimed, shoving her nose in Smoky's face.

"Come on, Smoke, it's no big deal," Ace told him.

"All right, if the little princess here wants to break the rules, let her do so!" Smoky slightly growled, although it wasn't much considering his age.

The three of them got into a squabble, which ended up waking the adult members of their dog family, and made their Master want to jam his ears full of cotton. Those pups sure were noisy sometimes! Maybe he could take the day off and go to town after all. Anything to escape the everlasting yapping.

Which is exactly how Copper and Belle felt. They were proud of their children, naturally, but some days they just needed a break. Parenting was hard work, and since it was a daily job, the two of them were usually dog-tired at the end of the day. Chief helped out too of course (whom the pups fondly referred to as "Uncle Chief"), which helped lighten the load a little bit but it was still a rough job!

Copper turned around in his barrel doghouse to where he was facing the outside and gave a big yawn. "What's all the ruckus about?"

"Daddy, I've been _It_ forever, and they won't let me take a break," Beulah told him, trotting up to him and sitting down.

"Tattle-tale," Smoky muttered, scratching his left ear.

"All right, if you can't play fair, then you guys will just have to think of something else to play," Copper responded, laying his head back down. _I definitely need a break from this routine._

"Yeah, let's play hide and seek," Ace suggested. "I'll be _It_!"

"Thanks!" Beulah laughed. "Close your eyes and count to ten and _no peeking_!"

"You'll never find me!" Smoky boasted, already spotting a good place to hide.

Amos watched the little pups scurrying about, and figured it wouldn't cause much harm to take a drive into town. Copper and Belle could use the rest (including himself), and Chief was experienced in the babysitting business, so the old hunter decided that later on that day they would go.

Sorry if it seems slow, I kinda wanted the puppies' personalities to be shown a little bit before drowning you guys in a storyline. If you like so far, please review and keep reading!


	2. Restless Youngsters

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Thanks! Hope you stay with me!

Forever Young: Yes, I love the puppies, they're all based on dogs I once owned! Yeah, by now Chief should be an expert babysitter, lol. If only dogs could get paid, then he'd be rich.

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Two: Restless Youngsters**

Somewhere deep in the forest, a couple of young fox cubs emerged from their den before their parents woke up. The oldest was a boy, Swift, and his twin sister was Autumn. Swift was a hyperactive cub who sense of adventure sometimes got him into trouble, and Autumn was the more sensible one—usually trying to keep her brother from doing anything stupid.

"Come on, sis!" Swift whispered behind him, tiptoeing away from the den so his parents, Tod and Vixey, wouldn't hear.

"I don't like this," Autumn admitted, following her brother. "What if we get in trouble? Or a dog sniffs us out and comes after us, and a hunter shoots at us?"

"You worry too much," he sighed, rolling his eyes slightly. "Now hurry up, or we'll never get away!"

"But what are we going to do when we _are_ away?" she asked, pawing her way up a hill.

"We'll find out when we get there—_if_ we get there, since you're poking along! Hurry up!"

* * *

"Now I want you three to mind Uncle Chief while me and Daddy are gone, understand?" Belle said to her three children before she and Copper loaded up into the back of the jeep. "I don't want to come home to a bad report." 

"We'll be good, Mom!" the three of them said unanimously with angelic grins and wagging tails.

"Don't worry about them, I'll make sure they don't do anything _too_ illegal," Chief assured Belle.

"Come on, Belle!" Amos whistled to her. Copper was already sitting in the back of the jeep, and barked for her to hurry up.

"Okay, bye kids," she finally said, turning her back to head to where her husband and Master was waiting.

"Bye, Mom! Bye, Dad!" the pups called as the truck started up and went down the driveway.

As soon as the jeep was out of sight, Smoky turned towards Chief and asked, "Can we go exploring in the woods, Uncle Chief? We won't tell Mom and Dad if you let us."

"Yeah right, I don't think so," the old dog smirked. "You're not going in them woods alone."

"You can come with us too," Ace piped up.

"I would, but I'm kinda tied up at the moment," he replied, reminding them that the rope attached to his barrel was still looped around his collar. "So the answer is _no_."

"Awww," they whined, but Chief wasn't going to fall for the sad look.

"Sorry, kids, it's just too dangerous out there for you to be wandering around by yourself," he told them. "Some wild animal might show up and decide to have you for supper."

Beulah started giggling. "Nobody's going to eat us!"

"If they do, I'll just beat 'em up," Smoky bragged, standing up straighter to make himself look a little bigger.

Chief started laughing. "Son, you're not much bigger than a baby coon! You wait a couple of months and _then_ we'll see about letting you loose on a bear or something." He laid down in his barrel and yawned. "Right now, you kids just go play by the shed or chicken coop and let your Uncle Chief catch up on a missed nap."

"Last one to the shed is a rotten egg!" Ace proclaimed, taking off in a run. Smoky raced after him, and Beulah tagged along behind yelling for them not to go so fast.

Chief sighed at the peace and quiet. He loved the kids to death, but sometimes he just needed a break! He figured it was easier babysitting three puppies would be a lot easier than babysitting Copper as a puppy. Copper hadn't anybody to play with so he was constantly wanting to hang around Chief. But those three had each other to play with, so they didn't have a reason to bother him!

* * *

"How's everything coming along?" Calvin Slade asked an anonymous source over the prison's phone. "Have you set all the traps through the forest?" 

"Yes, boss," a tough-sounding voice answered. "Did that all last night. Luckily, no late-night hunters came around with their dogs, or we'd have been found out!"

"Never mind that right now, just go around later to check the traps and get all the animals you find. And don't kill any of them, the zoo doesn't pay for dead specimans."

Dun dun dun, Calvin's still bad even in prison! Now he's got henchman setting traps throughout the forest! Will Tod and Copper's children be safe?


	3. Natural Enemies

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Lol, Okay I understand! It's okay, I love getting lots of mail! Keep reading!

narfgirl: Thank you! And as always, I'll have a blast writing!

Anonymous but Impressed: Okay, here's where the drama starts getting underway, so stay tuned!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Three: Natural Enemies **

"I'm getting bored," Beulah complained as the three pups laid down by the house's porch.

"Yeah, me too," Ace nodded. "Too bad we can't go out exploring in the woods."

Smoky got a gleam in his eye. "Maybe we still can."

The other two perked their ears up. "What do you mean by that?" Ace asked him.

"I'm saying that if we want to go exploring, then let's go!" the black-and-tan hound explained. "Uncle Chief is asleep now, and he won't hear us leave."

"But what if he wakes up and sees we're gone?" Beulah asked worriedly.

"Nah, he'll just think we're playing behind the shed or something," he told her. "Besides, we'll be back before he misses us. He won't ever know we went."

Ace looked doubtful. "I don't know if this is a good idea."

"Look, all we're doing is going a little ways beyond the fence and around that little pond with the tiny waterfall," Smoky assured him. "Now let's go before Uncle Chief wakes up and it's too late!"

Smoky trotted on ahead of them. Ace shook his head and sighed before jumping off the porch steps and going after him. Beulah looked around, saw how creepy everything was when left alone, and jumped up to follow them. The three of them quietly eased their way past Chief's barrel, careful not to wake him up, and then jumped over a broken spot in the fence and entered the forest.

* * *

Swift and Autumn had wandered very far from home by now. Autumn was beginning to not recognize any of the surroundings that she was used to. And she was getting kind of hungry as well, and neither of the cubs had been properly taught how to hunt yet.

"Swift, maybe we should go home," she told him. "I'm getting hungry, and I don't know where we are."

"Stop worrying!" Swift said. "Home is just a straight shot from here. Besides, it can't be that hard to catch some breakfast."

He heard some rustling in the bushes, and they both tensed up. A second later a squirrel popped out, carrying an acorn in its front paws. Swift grinned.

"Watch this," he whispered, getting into pouncing position. He drew in his breath and leaped towards the squirrel, but the tiny rodent-like creature sprung before he could be caught—running at top speed and chattering in fear. Autumn started laughing, but Swift became aggravated and chased after it.

"Come on, Autumn!" he yelled behind him to his sister, who realized her brother was serious about this hunt, and reluctantly ran after him.

* * *

"Look at the size of this tree!" Smoky breathed with wide eyes as he stared up at a huge sycamore. "It's gi-normous!"

"Uh, Smoke, I think we've wandered around long enough," Ace told him, realizing how far they had strayed from the fence. "If Uncle Chief finds out we came out here after he said not to, he's going to be _furious_ at us."

"I told you, he's not going to find out!" Smoky reassured him, snapping at a butterfly. "Besides, what could happen? We're not hurting anybody, and I haven't seen anything dangerous out here."

"But, Smoky," Beulah whined. "I'm getting kind of homesick, and I'm hungry."

Before Ace could comment, Smoky said, "That's no problem, we'll just hunt down food like the coyotes and wolves do. It can't be that hard; Mom, Dad, and Uncle Chief do it all the time."

Just then, a tiny bush-tailed squirrel came running up—looking rather out of breath—and when he saw the three pups, he let out a shriek and ran back towards the direction he had just come from. Smoky got excited when he saw the little animal, and bounded after it, barking his head off.

"Smoky! Smok—ugh!" Ace moaned, chasing after his brother. "Smoky, wait!"

"Hey, don't leave me!" Beulah called to them, running after Ace. "Slow down!"

The squirrel bounded through some bushes, the puppies following him every step of the way. When the squirrel got to the other side, he ran into the two fox cubs that were after him. Frantically looking about, the tiny creature made his escape into a tree. The two foxes were nearing the tree just as the three hounds came charging from the shrubs. When the five of them were suddenly nose-to-nose with each other they all let out short screams of terror.

"Whoa! What are you supposed to be?" Ace asked them, panting heavily after the chase.

"We're foxes," Autumn answered, and Swift nudged her hard in the ribs. "What?"

"Don't talk to them!" he hissed. "They're hunting dogs!"

"Not yet, we're just—ow!" Beulah yelped when Smoky punched her.

"Yeah, we're hunting dogs," the black-and-tan puppy smirked. "So I'd be afraid if I were you." He didn't really know what foxes were like, but he had seen the Master come home with several fox skins before, so he figured they must be pretty bad.

"Smoke, cut it out," Ace glared, but the hound wasn't listening, and neither was Swift.

"Well, I don't like hunting dogs," the little fox said in a low tone, putting his pointed ears back behind his head.

"Guess that makes us even because I don't like foxes," Smoky remarked back, taking a step forward. However, when he did so, he accidentally stepped on something which triggered a trap to release. The five of them had been standing on a hidden net, and when the pup had moved forward, the net had swung up—effectively trapping all of them in the mid-air.

"Nice job, genius," Beulah muttered, pushing Ace's leg out of her face. "Now we're stuck in here!"

Smoky looked sheepish. Swift glared up at him and asked, "Any bright ideas, hunting dog?"

"Just one," he answered. He stuck his paws through the holes in the net and yelled at the top of his lungs, "UNCLE CHIEF!"

* * *

(I probably won't update after tomorrow for maybe about three or four days considering my class schedule, and that my laptop doesn't get internet at my house anymore (since I'm on the school's system) but I will try to update tomorrow and then on Tuesday if possible!)

Uh-oh, the kids have all gotten trapped and it doesn't appear that they like each other either! Will they ever escape, or will they be taken in by Calvin's men?


	4. Tragedy Strikes

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Forever Young: It gets worse...trust me!

The Next Political Dynasty: Dun dun dun! Have you even seen this movie yet? Just wondering, lol. Keep reading and have fun moving in!

Lone Wolfdog: I LOVE HANK THE COWDOG!!! That's where I got the name Beulah from!! If you'll look on my profile, you'll eventually see a/b 4 stories I have planned out to write based on Hank the Cowdog. I LOVE Drover best!

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you very much. And the drama picks up more in this chappie, as you'll see!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Four: Tragedy Strikes**

"UNCLE CHIEF!" Smoky continued to yell from the net. "Why isn't he coming?"

"Because _somebody_ wanted to sneak off from home while he was _sleeping_!" Ace growled. "We're too far out in the woods for him to hear us now!"

"Well, maybe we can chew our way out," Autumn suggested, not wanting to stay up in the air all day.

"It's worth a shot," Beulah had to agree. "I can't think of anything."

"I'm not going to listen to some stupid fox's idea!" Smoky insisted.

"You calling my sister _stupid_?" Swift snapped. "If I recall correctly, _you_ are the one who got us up here in the first place!"

"Will everybody just calm down?" Ace pleaded, trying to shove Swift's tail from his nose. "We have to work together if we want to get out of here, and—"

"You can work together by yourself," Smoky snapped. "I'm not dealing with these forest animals."

Swift started to say something back, but a loud noise stopped him from doing so. "Wh-wh-what's that noise?"

Everybody stopped chatting to listen as well, and before long a truck with a large flat-bed pulled up underneath them. They stared as two men got out and looked up at them.

"Looks like we got something in that one," the driver, a heavy man with a red beard, said. "Chop 'em loose and put them in a crate."

The other man, a skinny guy with black greasy hair past his shoulders, rummaged around in the backseat for something to chop the rope with. Smoky didn't like the way these men looked or smelled, so he stuck his little muzzle through a hole in the net and screamed, "UNCLE CHIEF! HELP!"

* * *

While all this was going on, Chief had been enjoying an uninterrupted nap—that is until it _did_ get interrupted...by some yelling. He jerked his head up and shook himself awake before perking his left ear up to see if he could hear it again. Yep, there it went again, coming from the woods and—the woods?! Sweet mother, the kids! And they sounded like they were in trouble! 

"Hang on, kids, I'm com–ow!" he yelped. When he jumped forward, he had forgotten that he was still tied to his barrel to prevent him from going anywhere and nearly choked on his rope. He heard the yelling again, and he knew he couldn't let his stupid doghouse get in the way of protecting the children.

Chief gathered up his strength and tugged hard on the barrel, like he had done when he chased young Tod so long ago, and finally got the barrel loose enough for him to run and drag it behind him. Barking at the top of his lungs, he dashed through the broken section of the fence.

* * *

The greasy haired man had found himself a machete and was now busy hacking at the rope that held the five youngsters suspended in mid-air, while his heavy-weighted friend set a huge crate with holes in it on the ground. Smoky was still yelling for help, his voice growing tired. 

"Forget it, Smoke, he's not gonna show up," Ace sighed. "We're too far out in the woods for him to hear us."

"No! Uncle Chief is gonna save us, you'll see!" Smoky insisted. "If he can beat up a mountain lion, it'll be a cinch beating these two losers up!"

Just then, the net began to fall and the kids screamed when they felt themselves going down. The greasy haired man caught them in his arms and emptied them into the crate before slamming down the lid.

"Well, let's get 'em in the truck," he said, beginning to kneel down so he could lift the box. Smoky stuck his little snoot out of one of the air holes and started howling. They were just about to be lifted from the flatbed of the truck when the sound of angry barking could be heard.

"What the–," the heavy man started to ask, but he was cut off when a huge gray dog suddenly showed up, teeth bared and all.

"Who the heck is this guy?" Swift wanted to know.

"It's Uncle Chief!" Beulah exclaimed happily. "He heard you after all, Smoky! Hey, look, he even brought his house with him!"

"Wow, he must've been in a hurry!" Ace remarked.

The heavy man let go of the crate, and Chief jumped up and clamped down hard on the man's arm with his teeth. The man started screaming and tried to shake the angry dog off of him, but Chief kept a tight grip on his opponent.

"Hey, Marty!" he yelled to the greasy haired man. "Get this crazy dog off me!"

Marty was searching frantically in the pickup for something to beat the dog with. "I'm coming, Jeff, old pal!"

Jeff finally managed to throw Chief off of him, but the old hound wasn't done yet. He aimed lower and started ripping the man's leg open with sharp fangs and claws. Jeff tumbled onto the dirt, trying to kick off his attacker.

"Marty, he's killing me! Hurry up!"

"Get him, Uncle Chief, get him!" Smoky yipped excitedly, having been watching the whole show. "Tear his legs off!"

Marty succeeded in locating a thick short pipe that he could use to save his friend with and sprinted over to where the two where still going at each other. Smoky could see something in his hand and started yelling,

"Uncle Chief, behind ya!"

Somehow, the old dog was able to hear the pup's warning, but a moment too soon. As soon as he looked up to start having a go at Marty, the greased hair man slammed the pipe into the dog's head. Chief let out a yelp of pain, and when Marty beat the pipe onto him again, the dog collapsed to the ground.

"Thank God, I thought that crazy mutt was gonna kill me!" Jeff said, standing up on shaky legs. "Let's get out of here in case its owner shows up or something," he added, nudging the dog over into a ditch so nobody could see it.

The two men grabbed the crate and hoisted it onto the back of the truck. The pups looked worriedly outside the walls.

"Uncle Chief? Uncle Chief, wake up!" Beulah whimpered, seeing the old dog lying motionless on the ground. "What's wrong with him, why won't he get up?"

"Oh my gosh, _please_ tell me he's not dead!" Ace pleaded.

Smoky stared out with eyes filled with horror. "No. No, he can't be dead." The truck's engine started up and began to drive forward. "He just can't be!" Tears swelled up in his little brown eyes as the image of their seemingly lifeless uncle faded into the distance. _It's all my fault . . . _

Aw, how tragic! How are the kids going to escape now? Is Chief really dead? When are Tod and Vixey going to realize their cubs are gone? Gotta keep reading to find out!

****


	5. Where Are The Children?

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Okay, lol, hope you have a safe year of college, and keep reading!

Forever Young: Suspense is the answer to successful writing . . . lol, just kidding, I don't even know what that means! Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: I know sniff it is pretty sad, and things get sadder as time goes on...

narfgirl: We'll have to see if he's okay or not, so keep reading!

Lone Wolfdog: OMG, I have the plushie too! runs to hug Drover plushie Tee hee, thanks I'll try to find time to write them someday!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Five: Where Are the Children?**

Vixey woke up with a yawn inside the fox family's den. Another morning, another chance to catch breakfast for the cubs. Tod was still sleeping soundly beside her. She glanced over to where her two children usually slept and—found them missing!

"Oh my gosh!" she gasped, fully awake now. "Tod! Tod, wake up! Swift and Autumn are gone!"

Tod woke up a little groggily when he heard his wife half-way screaming in his ears. When the information became fully registered into his head that his two kids were gone, he perked himself up.

"Gone?" he asked, getting up on all four legs and crawling out of their den. "What do you mean, they're gone?"

Vixey crawled out after him. "I just woke up and they weren't there anymore. You don't think they would wander off without telling us, do you?"

"Well, Autumn might not, but I'm pretty sure Swift might," Tod had to admit. "That boy, he reminds of me when I was a cub—not a good thing."

"Tod, what if—what if something bad happens to them; they don't know how to defend themselves, they're only a few months old!"

"Stop worrying, Vixey," Tod assured her. "I'll go out and look for them. In the meantime, you stay here in case they come back on their own. Understand?"

She nodded. "All right." They rubbed noses before Tod turned tail and started off into the thicket. "Tod, be careful!"

* * *

"Heh, heh, that old Calvin," Amos laughed to himself as he and the dogs drove on home. "He sure screwed up by messing with the laws. Not only has his nice house been repossessed by the government, all his fancy belongings are on the market too! Good thing I grabbed that furniture when I could!"

When he had gone to town because of the letter he had received earlier, he was able to pick out anything of his brother's that he wanted—and since he already had Belle, he decided to go ahead to take his furniture too! Copper and Belle were in the back of the truck "guarding" it to make sure nothing fell out when they hit a pothole.

"I can't wait to get home, I'm worried about the pups," Belle mentioned as she looked on down the road.

"You and your sense of impending doom," Copper laughed. "Listen, nothing happened while we were gone. Chief can handle those three just fine."

"I know, but I have this feeling that something happened while we were gone."

Finally, they began to see the house up ahead. Copper was certain everything would be just as they left it . . . the pups playing around in the yard while "Uncle" Chief took a nap in his barrel. Wait a minute—what barrel?

"What in the name of?" Amos muttered to himself as he drove up the driveway and slowed to a stop.

Copper and Belle exchanged looks and jumped down off the truck. Copper got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach. There wasn't a soul to be seen on the whole farm. Even Chief's barrel was missing from it's spot under the oak tree. Belle gave him a look of fear.

"Copper?"

Amos got out of the truck as well and scratched his head in confusion. _That crazy Chief, he's always managing to get loose from me._ He put two fingers in his mouth and let out a deafening whistle. "CHIEF! Get on over here, boy!" He continued calling for the dog, but he never did come.

Copper was really worried now. Something bad really must've happened. He started barking towards the forest, but he didn't get a response. Belle started pacing nervously and whining.

"Copper, what is going on? Where is everybody?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out," he told her. "I'm going out there to look for them. You stay here with the Master in case anybody shows up."

Without wasting a second, Copper turned and bounded off into the forest, despite his Master's calls for him to come back. He just had to find them!

Dun dun dun, so now the proud fathers are off to hunt for their missing kids! Will they run into each other in the process? Will they find the children? Gotta keep reading to find out, and please review!


	6. Figuring It Out

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Forever Young: I know, mothers always are the ones left to deal with stress!! Hm, we'll see if you're right about Tod and Copper!

sunrise19: Thanks for reading! I'm not going to come out and say if Chief is dead or not, you'll have to keep on reading in order to find out!

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank very much. It's funny, your positive reviews always seem to give me self-confidence in my writing, so I thank you for that. And keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Six: Figuring It Out**

As Copper made his way through the forest, he would stop every once and while to see if he could sniff the pups out. He had managed to find their tracks, which was a good lead, and pressed on. He hoped nothing too terrible had happened!

After a while, he came upon some pushed down grass that looked like it had been pushed aside by . . . a barrel perhaps? Was it possible the pups had entered the forest, and then Chief—still attached to his barrel—had been forced to come out here as well? Copper knew the old dog wouldn't do anything like that unless it was an emergency—except in the case of when he was chasing young Tod around the farm and over the river almost two years ago.

Getting more worried than he already was, Copper used both the footprints and the pushed over grass trails to lead him to a clearing. The footprints he had identified as being his children's became mixed in with two other sets of prints—fox maybe?—and then there were no footprints at all. And he didn't know what happened with the barrel, for he couldn't see it anywhere. What had happened?

It was then the hound thought he heard something rustle in the bushes next to him. He tensed up his muscles, hoping it wasn't anything too dangerous. Personally, he hoped it was maybe one of the pups, but he knew that couldn't be the case. Instead, what popped out was . . .

* * *

Tod continued racing through the trees, jumping over sticking up roots from trees andjagged boulders along his way. He had found a set of tiny footprints, and according to his nose, they belonged to either one of the cubs. He didn't know how far away they were but he was determined to find them no matter what!

He slowed to a trot when he came upon a huge boulder, one big enough for a poacher to hide behind. He had learned the many tricks of the trade when it came to survival, and he knew he couldn't trust certain rocks. When he figured that it was safe to continue, Tod walked forward . . . then stopped. He saw something very metallic shining through some old leaves from the past fall. He blew the leaves away and realized he had come across a trap, one probably set there by a poacher—considering that it wasn't hunting season yet.

"Oh, I hope the cubs didn't get caught in one of those!" he muttered to himself as he hopped over the trap.

The fox continued along his way and finally encountered a pair of prints that he knew belonged to his kids. He also saw some faint squirrel tracks, so he figured they must have been after one. Adorable.

He jumped through a bush that was in front of him and gasped when he saw who he had just run into . . . Neither of them said anything for a minute until at last Tod said,

"Copper?"

"Tod?" asked the hound. "Wow, you nearly gave me a heart attack. How's it been for you?"

"Fine, I suppose. It's just, my two cubs—Autumn and Swift—they snuck off sometime this morning and now I can't find them."

Copper looked surprised. "You're kidding me. My three pups were missing when I got

home just a few minutes ago, and Chief's missing too."

"You've got kids?"

"Yeah, two boys and girl—Ace, Smoky, and Beulah. The Master took me and Belle to town earlier and we left Chief in charge of babysitting. But when we got back, the pups were gone, and so was Chief—barrel and all. I traced the tracks here, but that's as far as I got."

"Really? I found my kids' tracks too and they stopped here, too," the fox told him. "Hey, you don't think our kids' met up with each other do you?"

Copper thought about it. "It's a possibility. That would be kind of weird though. Hope they like each other."

"Them not getting along would be the least of our worries," Tod pointed out. "There's been poachers around here for a while. I just found one of their traps not far from here. I've got a bad feeling that perhaps they got caught in a trap and were taken away."

"But . . . why would they take three hunting dog puppies?"

"Because, if they were hanging around with _my_ kids, who are foxes, then maybe they just thought all five of them were foxes. It would be an honest mistake."

"Oh brother, this is _so_ weird. But that doesn't explain why Chief is still missing. I mean, I'm sure the reason he came out here was because the kids may have been in trouble with some poachers, but where is he now?"

"Maybe he chased them down in their truck or something," Tod said.

"How do you know they had a truck?"

"Hello! The tire tracks are right over there," the fox told him, pointing his paw behind the dog. Copper turned his head and saw that there was indeed some tire tracks there. Funny . . . why hadn't he seen those?

Tod bounded ahead. "Come on, let's follow them before they get too far!"

Yay, Tod and Copper meet up again once more! Will they find the children? Will they find out what happened to Chief? Is he even alive? And how are the kids getting along with each other? Where are they? The questions answered and more when we return!


	7. Three Pups Plus Two Cubs Equals Trouble

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you, thank you, I'm glad this story has a feel of drama to it, I was starting to wonder if it did or not!

The Next Political Dynasty: No classes? You suck, lol. Just kidding! Keep reading!

Sunrise19: Thanks! Hope you stay with me!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Seven: 3 Pups Plus 2 Cubs Equals Trouble**

The five youngsters had been cooped up inside the crate for what seemed like hours. After having seen the supposed death of his uncle, Smoky hadn't said much of anything, not in the mood to start another argument. Everybody else felt to uneasy to say anything either, so the journey was made in silence.

At long last, the vehicle carrying them came screeching to a halt. Marty, the man with greasy hair, stepped out of the driver's seat and began to talk to Jeff.

"Hey, when's that Calvin Slade supposed to call us?"

Jeff rolled his eyes as he exited the truck. "You dingy, he's in jail! He can only make one phone call a day, and he's already used it on us today."

"I know that, stupid. I'm just wonderin' why the heck he's wanting all these bloomin' animals for."

Jeff shrugged as he grabbed a hold of the crate containing the two foxes and three hound pups. "Beats me. I do remember him saying something about it having to do with revenge towards the huntsmen and all those folk. Because of their, how'd he say it? Stupid laws protecting wildlife. Said wildlife didn't need protection—it was humans that needed it."

"Oh, so he got throwed in the pen for shooting something he shouldn't have, so he's plotting to do away with _all_ the wildlife, eh?" Marty summed it up. "Whatever, as long as I get paid."

They laughed evilly and began carrying other crates that held such animals as badgers, squirrels, skunks, a few porcupines, and even an assortment of baby animals. Including our pint-sized little friends.

The men didn't bother to look and see that they had accidentally poached a trio of hunting dogs, so they dumped all five of them into a bigger pen over in the corner of the huge warehouse they had deemed headquarters—which was in the middle of nowhere. The five children were roughly shoved into the gated area and locked in, unable to get out. They watched as the other victims of poaching were locked up into other pens and crates. Finally, the last of them were penned, and Jeff and Marty went on out to have a beer.

When they were alone, Ace gave Smoky a glare. "Well, I hope you're proud of yourself. You get us lost in the woods, set off a trap, and get us stuck in here! How are Mom and Dad going to know where we are?"

Smoky shrugged. He felt bad enough as it was without his brother adding to it all. "Maybe they'll see that we're missing and follow our tracks our something," he guessed.

"Yeah, like _that's _going to work," Swift snorted, sitting down beside Autumn, to whom he muttered, "Dogs. Think they're so smart."

"I heard that," Smoky glowered at him, his floppy ears pulled back against his head.

"Don't start anything with me, it's not my fault we all got kidnapped," Swift snapped, tired of the black-and-tan pup's hostility towards him and his sister. "And it certainly isn't my fault that your uncle passed on to the next—"

Before he could even finish, Smoky had suddenly turned around and pounced on top of the fox, pressing down on his chest and growling softly. "Don't you _dare_ talk about that matter in front of me, do I make myself clear?"

"Smoky, get off of him!" Beulah squeaked, afraid that they were going to start fighting and hurt each other.

When he didn't do so, Swift tucked his hind legs underneath the pup's tummy and kicked him off himself. "And don't _you_ dare think you can pick a fight with me."

Ace was beginning to get tired of this. "Look, why can't we all calm down and act like mature adults about this. Whether we like it or not, we're all stuck in here together. We have to figure our way out of here."

Neither Swift nor Smoky said anything. They didn't even look at each other. Ace rolled his eyes at them. "I swear, you two are acting like babies! Get over yourselves already!"

Smoky turned his head slightly at his brother. "You know, you're starting to sound like Dad now."

"Good. One of us has to, and it obviously isn't going to be you," the oldest pup retorted.

"Hey, nobody told you that you had to listen to me and follow me out in the woods. You could've stayed home like a good little boy."

"Somebody had to keep you out of trouble, but it looks like it didn't work. You always manage to get us in trouble, and you've really outdone yourself this time!"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" Smoky growled. "Are you saying this whole shenanigan is _my_ fault? Okay, so I goofed up when I suggested exploring the woods. But if those two men hadn't been around to set up a trap, nothing else would have happened."

"Including what happened to Uncle Chief?" Ace glared. "Because I don't blame _them_ for what happened to him."

Smoky stared at his brother in shock. He had just obviously blamed him for the old dog's death. That was cold, real harsh. Smoky's ego deflated when he heard that verdict.

Beulah finally stepped in between them to keep them from arguing anymore. She hated it when they did this. "Stop it, both of you! Things are already tense around here without you two going at each other. Let's just all calm down and—"

"Get some rest," Autumn finished, yawning a little. "I don't know about everyone else, but I'm dead tired. Momma always says a little rest will calm your nerves."

Man, they sure don't like each other do they? Maybe after they "get some rest", things will start looking up. Or maybe not. It might get worse, and you'll never know unless you keep reading! PLEASE review!


	8. Different Paths

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Thanks! Um, okay, you kinda scared me there for a minute, but lol yes I know I am your friend and thanks for reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Yeah, they will eventually get their acts together, I just haven't decided WHEN yet, lol. Keep reading!

Forever Young: Too bad they don't have a teacher, lol! Don't worry, what happened to Chief will be explained soon, so keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Eight**: **Different Paths**

Copper and Tod were still in the woods, trying to follow the trail left by the tires. They just had to find it before the poachers did anything harmful to the kids! With Tod's keen eyes and Copper's excellent sense of smell, they were sure to find them in no time. The following of the tire tracks had been easy—up until they found out that the tracks suddenly disappeared into the river.

"Maybe it just continues on the other side," Copper reasoned, wading into the ankle deep water. Tod went in after him, sure his friend was right. Imagine their surprise when there were no more tracks to follow once they _did_ reach the other shore. For once, Copper was completely baffled at this. What happened to the truck? It couldn't just disappear into thin air.

Tod started laughing, causing the hound to give him a funny look. "And just, pray tell, is so humorous about this? We just lost the trail. There's a million different paths they could have gone from here!"

"Oh, come on! This is such an old trick!" the red fox chuckled. "The poachers pulled an old escape trick that foxes and racoons use to escape dogs and hunters. They wade in the water to lose the scent, then travel upstream. That's what the truck did, so in case the law found out about them, they wouldn't be able to follow them after the river."

Copper looked embarrassed. He knew the old escape trick, so why hadn't he thought the truck could do it too? No matter, the two of them began to travel upstream along the shoreline in hopes of coming across the kidnappers.

* * *

Belle was outside on the porch while Amos stayed inside and talked on the telephone. When it crossed his mind that perhaps Chief and the puppies had been stolen somehow, he called the sheriff from town. 

"I'm telling you, the four dogs were here in the front yard when I left. An hour or so later, I come home to a deserted house. And I think they were stolen!"

"All right, sir, could you give me a description of the dogs?"

"Yes, the older dog is a gray Trigg hound, male, wearing a red collar. The three puppies are about two-and-a-half months old, two boys and one girl. One of them is blue-ish with black spots, another one is off-white with tan and dark brown, and the other is black and tan."

"Okay, sir, do you know of anyone who may have kidnapped the dogs, if they were indeed kidnapped?"

"Not that I know of—well, maybe my younger brother, but he's in prison."

"What's his name?"

"Calvin Slade. But he's in jail, I don't see how he could possibly do anything like this in there. Besides, he doesn't even know about the puppies."

"He could have connections to people who do his dirty work for him. Besides, we're just looking into the different paths this investigation could go. We'll ask around about your brother, and we'll keep an eye out for the dogs."

* * *

It was getting dark outside. The full moon was the only thing that kept the warehouse from being pitch black. All the animals were asleep—all of them except Smoky. He had his nose pressed against the gate that kept them from wandering free, staring out into space. His conscience had been bothering him all day. He knew it was his fault that they had been kidnapped. It was just so hard to admit it! He felt awful now that he had gotten his siblings to join him on that escapade beyond the fence. Perhaps if he had been a good little puppy they would still be at home with their parents and Uncle Chief. Who would not be lying in some ditch at that moment lifeless. 

Smoky felt contempt towards the two men. They had inflicted pain on a loved one. Why did some humans have to be bad? Why couldn't they just leave things alone? Pondering upon this, he suddenly felt that it was the two men's fault that this all happened. It wasn't like Smoky had _asked_ them to build a trap for them to step into. He hadn't told them, heaven forbid, to kill his uncle in cold blood. The dog was only trying to protect them from getting hurt by the humans.

But what about his brother, Ace? Oh, he had really made Smoky's heart stop when he put the blame on him for Uncle Chief's death. He must have really hated him then, when he told him that. And when Smoky thought about it, he could see some truth in that. If he had only obeyed his rules, Chief never would have had to come to their rescue, and he never would've gotten killed trying to save them. If only he could go back in time and take a different path. _It's all my fault . . . _

And for the first time in his life, tears of remorse ran down his little face.

* * *

Oh man, sorry, I almost cried writing that last paragraph! I'm so sentimental _grabs tissue_ and yeah, I really did just grab a tissue. Will _anything_ go back to "normal"? How am I going to make a happy ending out of this? You'll just have to keep reading to find out, so stay with me!


	9. Taking Sides

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Aw, sorry I made you cry! Hope you keep reading anyways, although I can guess that you will, lol!

Anonymous but Impressed: Yeah, that was pretty neat, Tod's trick. Nobody can't say I never paid attention to those hunting education shows, lol!

Carmen Airstrup: I know what you're talking about, the weaving thing, but I haven't been really writing long enough to actually make it do right. One of these days I will somehow master that technique, but I am trying to do that for this story. Yeah, I have voices for the pups/cubs in my head too!

Cathy: Yes, I am sadly suggesting that, but you won't know the truth until the next chappie, mwahaha! Keep reading!

Sunrise19: We'll see if they become friends or not, and if it will stay that way, I promise! Keep reading!

Forever Young: I feel for Smoky too, but only b/c I based him on my very first dog I had as a child, so I kinda wanted him to be the main pup. Glad you like!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Nine: Taking Sides**

The next morning came too early for the animals. Jeff and Marty been gone all night, and none of them had been fed. The baby animals especially were crying for food, and the puppies and fox cubs could have used some nutrition themselves.

"I wish Momma was here," Autumn whined. "I'm starving."

"I'm hungry, too," Beulah agreed. "Right about now, I'd be having some table scraps from the Master's house."

"Momma would be bringing home some quail or rabbit," Autumn mentioned.

"Will you two pipe down about food?" Swift pleaded. "I'm hungry enough as it is."

It was almost as if he had said the magic words. At that moment, Jeff and Marty came inside with a bagful of what smelled to be . . . food. They got out a little cup to scoop it out with and started dumping what appeared as dogfood or something out on the ground for the animals.

"Yeah, yeah, I hear you," Marty mumbled. "Stupid animals, only problem with them is you have to feed them."

"Well, the boss wants them alive, so we have no choice," Jeff told him, pouring some into the foxes' and puppies' pen. The two humans _still_ hadn't noticed that they had accidentally poached some hunting dogs, so they continued with their feeding procedure before leaving.

When the food fell into their pen, the five youngsters dove into it. The pups recognized it as dog food, but the foxes had no idea what it was. Personally, they thought it was gross, but it _was_ better than nothing. Smoky really wasn't that interested in food. He hadn't slept at all last night, and he was still quite sleepy. Ace noticed this.

"What's wrong with you, didn't you sleep?"

He didn't answer. He didn't feel like it. Swift got a little aggravated at this. Smoky's attitude was one that always made him upset. "Will you stop feeling sorry for yourself and eat already? Just because everybody's ticked off at you is no reason to starve yourself."

"Will you get off my back already?" the puppy snarled. "Maybe I'm just not hungry, is all."

"Please. You just don't want to eat because you know this whole thing is your fault," the fox continued to say. He gave a little laugh. "About time you realized that."

"Now see here, bushy tail, I've had about enough of _your_ attitude. All you do is put me down, and I'm already put down enough as it is. You've been a grouch since we met."

"The same could be said to you, hunting dog."

"_Hey!_" Ace snapped, getting both of their attention. "Will you two _please_ stop arguing? We need to figure out how to get out of here, not figure out how to kill each other."

"Too late," Smoky grumbled, laying down to where he was facing away from the group. "Who put you in charge anyway? I sure didn't vote for you."

Ace glared. "Somebody has to act mature around here, and it obviously isn't going to be you."

Beulah was looking a little fidgety, and Smoky cast a glance at her. "What? Are you agreeing with him or something?"

She looked hesitant, but she responded, "No offense, bro, but I'd rather listen to Ace's ideas than yours right about now."

"Oh? And why is that?" he asked, standing up now and getting up in her face. "You don't trust me or something? Scared I'm going to get you whacked in the head with a pipe too? I know that's what Ace thinks, so you might as well too."

Beulah started bawling when he started growling at her, and then Swift decided to input, "Man, you are pathetic. Your own siblings are going against you! At least I know my sister is with me, right, Autumn?" He looked back at the girl cub, who he found looked a little uncomfortable herself. "Autumn?"

"Actually . . . I kinda agree with Ace. If we're going to get out of here, we can't keep arguing like you two guys are now. Plus, it _was _your idea to run off from home . . . and _now we're stuck in this prison and I want to go home!!_" With that, she started bawling as well, so now they had two girls crying instead of just one. Ace thought he was going to go insane.

"See what you two have done now? You're bad tempers have gotten everybody upset, and now the girls are crying. I hope you're all proud of yourselves."

"You think I'm proud of what I've done?" Smoky demanded of him, tears starting to squirt out of his eyes and his throat getting tight. "You don't have to keep reminding me that it's all my fault, I think I know that by now, and I'm sorry!" He was really crying now. "If I could go back, I would change everything! I loved Uncle Chief, I didn't want anything to happen to him, it was an accident, so why don't you just leave me alone!!"

Smoky went in the corner, covered his face with his paws and started sobbing like a newborn baby, all while Beulah and Autumn were starting to get over their spells. Swift rolled his eyes at all of them, and went into his own little corner. Ace swept his eyes back and forth, first at Swift, then at the girls, then at Smoky. He let out a deep breath. What on earth were they going to do?

Okay, so it is Ace, Beulah, and Autumn versus Swift versus Smoky. And sorry, I keep making myself cry while writing this, so please review and keep reading!


	10. Ace's Idea

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: I know, poor thing! Keep reading!

Sunrise19: Yes, I feel for them too, obviously, since I wrote this, lol. You'll find out what happened to "Uncle" Chief in this chappie!

Anonymous but Impressed: Glad you liked! Here's some more for ya!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Ten: Ace's Idea**

"Hello?" Jeff answered when he picked up the phone. He and Marty were sitting by the phone in their "office" that was right beside the warehouse which contained the poached animals.

"Jeff? Have you gotten all of those animals yet?" a familiar voice asked.

"Sure did, Mr. Slade, sir, they're all locked up good and tight in the shed. Fed them and everything," Jeff answered.

"Good, good," Calvin muttered. "All right, here's what to do. At seven o'clock tonight there is a train stopping at the depot at Dart's Creek. You two need to get the animals back in the truck at around five o'clock, because it is almost a two hour drive up there. When you _do_ get there, there will be a man named Kerry Kent waiting for you. He works for the zoo, and he's going to have a check for over half a million dollars. Take the check, then at exactly nine o'clock in the evening, I will call you at your office. Trust me, if you decide not to answer, I _will_ tip the cops off and lead them to you."

"Uh . . . sure thing, Mr. Slade. You can count on us."

* * *

****

About half an hour crawled by in the sweltering summer heat. The surrounding animals were busy snapping at flies that happened along, and many of the babies were complaining of hunger again. Smoky and Swift were still pretty much ignoring each other, and Beulah and Autumn were talking to each other about home in order to keep from being bored. Ace was pacing back and forth in the "cell", trying to devise a plan of escape.

But he really couldn't think about it right then. His mind kept wandering to Smoky's apologies for what all had happened in the course of two days. He _seemed_ sincere about it, and Ace was sure that he was. Nobody could fake tears like that. The hound pup felt a little regretful for having blamed his brother for everything, but he couldn't think about that right now—he had to focus on getting them all out of there first. There would be time for apologies later.

His little brown eyes did a quick study of the pen they were all contained in, looking at everything from the chain-linked wire to the baseboards. The baseboards . . . Ace squinted closer at a pair that was not too far from the door hinges. They appeared to be a little loose, just loose enough for maybe three puppies and two fox cubs could break open . . .

"Hey, guys!" he said out loud. "I think I just figured out how we can get out of here!"

Beulah and Autumn bounded up to him as soon as he said the words. Swift poked his head up and perked up his ears, but didn't move from his spot. Smoky didn't budge, didn't even look interested.

"What it is, Ace, what did you find?" Beulah asked excitedly.

The boy pup pointed his paw at the baseboards. "See those? They're awful loose, and I was thinking that maybe if we could all work together to pull them apart, we could make a hole. The smallest of us could squeeze through the hole to crawl out." He fixed his eyes on the door latch. "And then, somehow maybe they could manage to unlatch the door and get us all out of here."

"That's a great idea," Autumn applauded. "But . . . what about the other animals?" They all looked around at the rest of the imprisoned creatures in the shed. Ace hadn't thought of them, sad to say, but he replied,

"Easy. When we're all out, we can set them free. No big deal."

"Just one question?" Swift decided to ask. "Who's going to be the one who crawls out first? I mean, who's the smallest?"

They all thought about it for a minute, then slowly all of their eyes fixated on Autumn. The female cub didn't notice at first, but then realized everybody was looking at her. Her ears folded down on her head.

"Heh, heh. What?"

* * *

It was around noontime deep in the forest, and unusually quiet. Birds weren't chirping, crickets and grasshoppers weren't singing—only the wind could be heard whistling it's way through the trees. It seemed that there was no life present in that neck of the woods.

That is . . . until a sign of life _did _appear. Over in a nearby ditch, a seemingly lifeless animal slowly started regaining consciousness from an earlier blow to his head. The sunlight beamed into his eyes, causing him to flinch a little bit. He suddenly realized how bad his body was aching, and when he tried to get up, he felt weak in the knees and collapsed again.

_What happened?_ Chief thought briefly as he started coughing hoarsely, once again trying to lift himself off the ground. His memory was a little hazy, and he tried remembering why exactly he was out in the woods, and in so much pain—and why the heck was he still attached to his doghouse?

He shook the vapors out of his mind, causing it to suddenly throb, and he tensed up at the pain. Suddenly, he remembered how he came to be out there—the kids! Ace, Smoky, Beulah—he looked around him and saw that there was absolutely no sign of the pups, the two men, or the truck anywhere in sight. The men . . . they must have somehow knocked him senseless and stolen the kids while he was out cold!

_Why those dirty, good-for-nothings . . . I got to find those kids, _he told himself firmly. What a minute . . . he didn't even now where to begin. His vision was still a little out of focus, not a good thing to happen to a sight hound, and furthermore . . . and furthermore he was still attached to his blasted barrel.

Muttering a little under his breath, he placed a paw on the rope and started tugging on his collar trying to remove it from around his neck—which thankfully popped off without too much of a hassle. Now he could concentrate on finding his "niece and nephews". Since his eyes were helping him out much, he was going to have to rely on his sense of smell—something he hadn't used in a while. That was always Copper's specialty . . .

What a minute—Copper! Copper had been here, he could smell it in the air. Perfect, maybe Copper had discovered what had gone on and decided to find the kids too. And of course, he was going to need help with this—besides Chief was feeling guilty for having let the pups wander off in the first place. And so the old dog used what little sense of smell he had left following Copper's trail, doggedly determined to be of help.

Yay! So Chief really is alive! And it looks like Ace has come up with an interesting escape idea! But will they get out before Jeff and Marty start loading them up for Dart's Creek? Keep reading to find out, and please review!


	11. Teamwork, Part One

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Lone Wolfdog: I love the dog to death, mainly b/c one of my favorite actors plays him (Pat Buttram) Lord rest his soul. Glad you like, keep reading!

The Next Political Dynasty: I was debating on keeping him alive or not, but obviously I chose to keep him alive! Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Yes, he's alive and fairly well, and isn't it about time those kids worked together, lol? Keep reading!

Sunrise19: Yeah, I noticed that, hee hee, but I LOVE hunting dogs, so you can't blame me for sticking three in there. Keep reading!

Cathy: I know he seems mean, but he's my 2nd fave character in the movie (next to Copper), plus one of my favorite actors plays him, so "so be it". Plus, he didn't know Tod was Copper's friend. Just doing his job. Ironically, I didn't think Big Mama or the other two birds played that big a role in the movie. In fact, they completely annoyed me. I fast forward through the caterpillar chasing scenes every time, so NO they will not be here. Sorry. Hope you keep reading anyway!

Forever Young: I know it seems that he coincidentally got better at the exact right time, but what's a family reunion and all w/out the WHOLE family? Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Eleven: Teamwork, Part One **

"Everybody _pull_!" Ace said as he, the girls, and Swift pulled on one of the loose baseboards with their front paws. It wasn't as easy as they had thought it would be. Their paws were killing them from the pressure. Finally, they stopped to take a break. "Okay, this isn't working. Maybe it was a dumb idea."

"Hey, it's better than nothing," Swift told him. "Maybe if we pull with our mouths instead. Then we can brace ourselves better with all four paws on the ground."

"I hadn't thought of that," Ace had to admit. "Good idea."

"Thanks," the fox grinned. He glanced sideways at Smoky, who was still feeling sorry for himself over in the corner, and rolled his eyes briefly before joining the others once more.

"Okay, all together, _pull_!" Ace said again, this time all four of them using their teeth to pull the two boards apart. After five minutes of tugging, the kids fell to the cement, totally out of breath. Swift caught his breath fairly quickly, and saw that Smoky still hadn't budged.

"Hey . . . you!" he called over to him. "A little help would be nice."

"Come on, Smoke, this would be easier if everybody was over here doing this," Ace added, sitting down to scratch one of his ears.

Smoky lifted his eyes and glared at him. Why would he want to help somebody who so obviously blamed him for everything that had gone wrong so far? Swift let out a groan of impatience, and Ace decided to go and talk to his brother.

"Look," he said quietly so the others couldn't hear. "I'm sorry I said all that stuff earlier . . . you know, blaming you for it all. I know you didn't mean for any of this to happen. Especially about Uncle Chief. That was uncalled for of me to say all of that, and well . . . I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

Hearing Ace say these things somewhat touched Smoky's injured heart. He looked up at his brother and saw the sincere look in his eyes. Maybe he really did mean it. Maybe his brother wasn't such a bad guy after all.

"Please, Smoky," Beulah said softly. "We really need a little more help."

He saw the begging look from the members of the group—even Swift looked like he had a pleading look—and got up from where he was laying. "Okay, let's bust this pen open!"

With that, he joined his siblings and the two fox cubs and they all once again began tugging hard on the baseboard. They tugged so hard, they thought their jaws might surely pop out, but they kept their grip and eventually—POP! The board suddenly gave way and tore loose from the chain-linked wall it was attached too.

"Yay! We did it!" the girls shouted, hopping up and down on their hind legs in excitement.

"Don't celebrate yet, we still have one more to do," Ace reminded them, positioning himself in front of the second board on the opposite side. "Everybody ready? _Pull_!"

The five of them began pulling on the second board, which seemed to be even harder to loosen than the first board, but with Smoky now helping they finally got it pulled away from the chain-link.

"All right, we did it!" Beulah squealed, giving Autumn a high-five. Ace thought it was funny how easily they seemed to get along together, yet it was difficult for the other guys to get along. Basically, he figured it all boiled down to prejudice (and sheer pride)—Swift learned that hunting dogs were overall bad (and Smoky's attitude didn't help the matter), and Smoky got it somehow drilled into his head that foxes were overall bad (and Swift's attitude didn't help the matter either). Oh well, it must be a girl thing, he figured.

"Hate to break to you girls, but Autumn, it's up to you to get out now," the oldest puppy said to them.

Swift gave his sister a look of encouragement, which she smiled at, before diving headfirst into the hole they had created. Having lived in a fox hole all her life, she was accustomed to small spaces, so it didn't take her little body long to pop through to the other side. They gave a cheer when they saw that she was all the way out.

"Okay, now what do I do?" she asked, looking back at them.

"Now you somehow have to get the latch off the big door," Ace responded, pointing his nose up near the middle of the door. "Do you think you can do that?"

"Sure, why not?" she shrugged, bouncing over to where the door was. She looked at it with a worried look when she saw how big the door actually was. She gave the others a blank stare of confusion, not knowing what to do. Beulah spotted a chair behind her.

"Hey, see if you can push that chair behind you up closer, then jump up to undo the latch," she suggested. She wagged her tail when she saw Ace give her an approving smile.

"I'll try and see," Autumn said, trotting over to the wicker chair and pushing on it with all her little might. But she was too small, she didn't weigh enough for the chair to really go anywhere. It scooted on the floor about one centimeter before she got out of breath.

"I can't do it!" she moaned. "It's too heavy for me to do it alone."

Seeing his sister growing frustrated, Swift took a glance at the hole they had created and determinedly set his mind on getting himself through it. He was a little bigger than his sister, but somehow he managed to pop himself through it as well. He rushed to his sister's side and together they eased the chair in front of the door, where the two of them hopped on top of it and jumped up to undo the latch.

The three puppies gave a little cheer, all right Smoky didn't exactly _cheer _but he did wag his tail a bit, and the fox cubs pushed the chair out of the way so that the pups could escape as well. The five of them were so excited about being free, they almost forgot what the rest of the plan was.

"Oh, I almost forgot," Beulah stated. "We're supposed to free the others too."

"Me too," Ace had to admit. "All right, everybody find someone to let loose, and do it quickly and quietly. We want to do it before the two men come back, so hurry!"

All right, the kids have worked together to get themselves free! But will they free the others before Jeff and Marty return? Will Tod and Copper get there in order to help save them all? And now that we know Chief is alive, will he arrive on the scene as well? All these questions answered and more when we return, lol. Please review!


	12. Teamwork, Part Two

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: And indeed, I have returned! Lol, read your email about the google search, that was funny!

Cathy: Yeah, I had almost ended the chapter that way, lol! But I didn't, obviously, lol. Keep reading!

Sunrise19: Why of course, they can't be selfish and let themselves get away without helping others, now can they? Lol. Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you, and I hope you keep on reading!

narfgirl: I love Chief, I couldn't let the guy die just yet, even though getting beat in the head is not something you would normally live through, lol. Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Twelve: Teamwork, Part Two**

It was nearing three-thirty in the evening, and by this time, the five youngsters had managed to release a majority of the other animals. There were possums, squirrels, coons, baby deer, etc., running around all over the place. And boy were they noisy! Ace was afraid that they would attract Jeff and Marty's attention, so he was constantly trying to shush them up.

"Be quiet!" he said firmly. "The men are going to come here and lock us up again if you don't be quiet!"

But nobody seemed to be listening. They were all just glad to be free from their cages. Beulah released the final locked-up creatures, a small family of porcupines, which scurried out of their cage as quickly as possible.

"Phew!" Swift breathed slowly. "I thought we'd never get them all out."

"Yeah, but now that we're all out of the pens, how are we getting out of this shed?" Smoky wanted to know, looking at Ace.

"Don't look at me, I don't have all the answers."

_We finally get a confession_, Smoky thought to himself, but didn't dare say it out loud.

"If everybody doesn't stop making so much noise, the bad guys are going to come in here and—" Autumn started, but then Beulah interrupted.

"And they'll have to open the door!" she gasped. "Maybe if they come, they'll leave the door open because they'll be so busy trying to catch everyone!"

Swift shook his head. "That's ridiculous, they'll close the door so none of us can run out on them."

"Well, I don't see anybody else coming up with anything," Smoky said in Beulah's defense . . . much to Beulah's surprise!

"Uh, guys, I think somebody needs to come up with something fast," Autumn suddenly said, giving a fearful look towards the door to the outside. "Because here they come!"

"I'm telling you, something is going on in here," Marty was saying to Jeff as he opened the door. "I heard the animals and—what the?"

"How'd they get loose?" Jeff asked in a loud voice.

When they saw the humans, the animals all went bonkers and immediately began running around looking for cover. The two men quickly slammed the door, just as Swift predicted, and started trying to round them all up again.

"What do we do now, huh?" Beulah whimpered, taking cover behind Ace.

"I don't know, sis! Just run!"

* * *

Tod and Copper had been following the river for hours. They were beginning to lose hope in ever finding the children. They hadn't run into anymore tire tracks, and the two fathers were starting to think the worst had happened. 

"Where on earth could they be?" Tod asked out loud. "We've been looking forever. They have to be around here somewhere."

"I know, they can't be much farther, but I just don't see where they could possibly be," Copper sighed, looking down into the water. He felt that he had failed in his purpose of life—he was born to track down animals, yet he couldn't even track down his own children!

Tod was feeling pretty miserable as well, but then an interesting sound entered his ever-listening ears. It sounded like . . . a bunch of different animals in trouble? Tod looked over at Copper.

"Hey, do you hear that?" he asked, making sure he wasn't just hearing figments of his imagination.

Copper lifted one of his long ears a little ways up to listen. "Yeah, I hear it too. You don't think . . . "

"It doesn't matter what I think, I'm going anyway!" Tod told him, and the two of them bounded through the water and tore up the hill towards the noise.

* * *

Jeff and Marty hurried around trying to grab at least one small animal to stuff back in its cage, but what with all the ruckus and motion going on, they couldn't concentrate on just one creature. Swift decided to fight back, so he rushed at Jeff and started gnawing on his leg. 

"Ow, ow, what the?" he looked down to see the little fox chewing on him and scowled. "Why you menacing little–" He grabbed a nearby magazine that had been lying around, rolled it up, and raised his arm to start whipping the cub with it.

Smoky saw that Swift was about to get a beating, and although he didn't necessarily like him, he didn't want to see him get thrashed, so he came rushing at full speed and knocked Swift out of the way. They tumbled on the floor for about two seconds and Swift gave Smoky a funny look.

"Did you just . . .?"

"Uh, yeah," Smoky said, hating to admit that he just saved a "game animal". "And let's forget it happened, don't ever bring it up _ever_!"

Marty at this point grabbed a nearby broom and began swinging it in front of him. This made all the skittish animals become frightened, and it got them headed for the back corner. The pups and cubs were all huddled together under a table pushed up against the wall, not knowing what to expect.

"All right, you stupid animals, we're supposed to pack you up and send you to a nice home at the zoo," Jeff grinned evilly. "Now you all be nice to Uncle Jeff and Uncle Marty, and we'll make sure you end up there alive."

"I wish Daddy were here," Autumn cried.

"I want my Daddy too," Beulah sniffled, much to the embarrassment of Smoky.

"Get your head out of the clouds," the black and tan puppy told her. "Dad is miles away from here. He probably doesn't even know that we're—"

Before he could finish what he was going to say, a deep barking could be heard from outside, and before anybody (animals and humans alike) could figure out what was going on, an adult hound and fox came crashing through the door behind the humans.

Hee hee, left you with a cliffie! Yay, Tod and Copper have finally shown up to save the day! And surprisingly, Smoky actually did something nice for Swift—very important. Okay, so what will happen with Calvin since his plan is going down the drain? When's Chief going to show up? Well, hang on to your britches, I'm getting to that! Please review!


	13. Found at Last, Part One

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Ha ha ha, I didn't even think about that when I wrote it, lol! Keep reading!

Sunrise19: Glad you love it. "Not like...love!" Lol, a little Lion King 2 humor there. Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Wow, I'm glad you think it's that exciting, and now it will be even more exciting, hopefully. Keep reading!

Forever Young: Yes, it will be important to remember that scenario in the future, and as far as I am concerned there is no "grudging duty pay back" for Swift. Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Thirteen: Found at Last, Part One **

"Calvin Slade?" an officer asked when he came across the young man's cell. "Some men want to ask you a few questions."

Calvin sighed in annoyance and wiped his hands on his prison outfit. Questions, questions, questions . . . was there ever a time when questions were _not_ asked? The officer escorted him to the questioning room where his lawyer and the local sheriff were waiting.

"Thank you, officer, you may leave," the sheriff bid him off. When the three were alone, Calvin asked,

"Well, what did I do this time?" he smirked, leaning back into the chair. "Poison a school of endangered catfish?"

The sheriff didn't laugh, and neither did his lawyer. Calvin saw that they were being

serious about this, so he cleared his throat nervously. Had they found out about his secret plot to poach half the wildlife and sell it to the zoo? Surely not.

"Mr. Slade, we have reason to believe that you are being involved in some shady behavior, even behind bars," the sheriff finally stated. "We got a call from your brother yesterday afternoon, saying his dogs were missing."

Calvin let out a sigh of relief, seeing that they were not asking about his scheme. "Now why would I even care about my brother's dogs? I am in jail, what would I do with hunting dogs? There's not enough room for them, plus they don't go after rats."

"Will you let me finish?" the sheriff snapped. "We know that one of the dogs, a female, used to belong to you before you were imprisoned. She had three pups with your brother's dog, and at first we assumed that you had somehow planned a kidnapping of the offspring for revenge. We sent a few boys to the property outside your brother's boundary and did some looking around about two hours ago, and they ran into a couple of traps. Professional traps."

"How do you know old Amos didn't put them out there?"

"Because, Mr. Slade, these traps were a special-made brand that is quite expensive and can only be found in Alaska. A man with your brother's income couldn't have afforded that. We did even more research to find that _you_ had had some of those traps shipped to a couple of men by name of Jeffrey and Marty Walden. And those two have been in trouble with the law before about poaching. And with your recent history of endangering wildlife and their history of poaching, we put two and two together."

Calvin stared wide-eyed at the sheriff, not believing he just got found out. He glanced at his lawyer for help, but the man turned his eyes downward, obviously disappointed in his client. The sheriff gave a grin and said, "So, once again, you're being charged with endangering the wildlife. Now either you tell us where those animals are hiding at, or you're going to be looking at an extremely long jail sentence."

Calvin chuckled. "Phht! Yeah right."

"Try us."

* * *

"What in the mess?" Jeff shouted when he saw the two adult animals in the doorway, who were baring fangs and growling deeply. "A fox and a hound?"

Tod was the first to attack. He quickly clamped his teeth around Jeff's scrawny leg, knocking the greasy-haired man down on the ground. Marty would have helped out, but Copper went into second-wave attack, and knocked the big man to the floor, pinning him down and growling menacingly. Sadly, when Marty fell down, his huge leg kicked the door shut, so there was no way for the animals to escape anyhow. The kids noticed the two men falling and gasped when they saw their fathers having come to the rescue.

"Yeah, all right, Dad!" Swift cheered his father on.

"Get 'im, Daddy, get 'im!" Beulah chanted, bouncing up and down.

"Marty, get this mad fox off me!" Jeff pleaded as he wrestled Tod on the ground.

But the big man was too scared to move considering he had a large hound dog sitting on his chest and growling at him. "I would . . . but I don't think this dog would like it too much."

Seeing that Copper had immobilized the bad guy, Smoky's level of bravery went up, and he scampered over there yapping his head off at Marty. Copper saw his son, and was so glad to see that he was okay, his mind wandered off of Marty. The huge man saw the dog's attention divert, so he used the opportunity to sling the dog off of him. This caused Smoky to get a little spooked, so he turned tail and dived back under the table with his siblings.

Copper shook his head and bounded into the man, using claws and teeth in an attempt to partially tear him to shreds. Tod, in the meantime, had made a go at Jeff's face, which was now covered in scratches and cuts. All of the other animals had gone completely insane when the fighting began, and inside that cramped warehouse it wasn't a good thing!

"Swift, we're going to get trampled on if we don't get out of here!" Autumn cried softly, ducking her head when a baby deer jumped near them.

"But our dads are too busy fighting to get us out!" Swift reminded her.

"Maybe we should help them out?" Ace guessed, looking at the rest of the gang. They didn't reply automatically, but Smoky of course shouted,

"I'm all for that! Bonzai!" He made another rush at Marty, who was at present still engaged in wrestling with Copper. The other four kids followed his example and dove into the action as well. The boys were pretty okay with getting mean . . . they starting biting on the men's knees and ankles. The girls did all right too . . . they did a little barking in the men's ears, as well as a little chewing.

Every once in a while, they would get flung off about ten inches, but they always managed to jump back up and start again. But after flying through the air five times, they started getting tired.

"This is hopeless!" Beulah whined. "We aren't doing any good, and we'll never get out of here at this rate!"

Tod and Copper were starting to think the same thing. If they were so busy keeping the men from the kids, then how were they supposed to grab the kids to make a run for it? And the other wild animals were too busy running around like lunatics to be of any assistance. Speaking of which, a skunk had just waddled by and got spooked when Copper suddenly barked. It lifted its tail let out its nasty odor, blinding poor Copper who started gagging. Marty was affected as well, but not as much, so he flung the dog off of him and rammed him into a wall.

"Hey, nobody messes with _my_ dad like that!" Smoky growled, running up and barking at the huge man again. "Leave my dad alone!"

Marty glanced down and grinned almost evilly at the puppy. "Well now, where did you come from, little guy?" Smoky saw him grab a net and nearly had a heart attack when he realized he was about to be captured again, when suddenly out of the clear blue sky—

Mwahaha! Left you with a cliffie! So, now a huge fight is going on, and Calvin has finally been found out! If that part confused anybody, I'm sorry, but I had to think of something to stick in there. So what came "suddenly out of the clear blue sky"? You'll have to read the next chappie to find out, so keep reading, and please review!


	14. Found at Last, Part Two

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Lone Wolfdog: Okay, you'll find out in the first paragraph! Just keep reading!

Forever Young: It's okay to guess, you won't be screwing up anything! But keep reading to see if your guess was right, whatever it was!

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you, thank you, I really appreciate your positive comments, man!

SumRise19: Glad you liked the fight! And it continues in this chappie, so keep reading!

Tonyboy: Thanks! Yeah, I'm a sucker for fight scenes w/ dogs so I had to have a few in here! Glad you liked my last story as well!

Cathy: No, "flying through the air" was just a figure of speech, but good guess. Actually, I had been thinking about Big Mama lately and then I had a dream about her. Then I decided to add her into the storyline, but it will be quite a few chapters b4 I put her in.

Narfgirl: We'll see if he shows up, and thanks for reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Fourteen: Found at Last, Part Two**

When suddenly out of the clear blue sky, the deep sound of barking could be heard and before anybody that was paying attention knew what was going on, a large gray dog came crashing in through the window and ended up knocking Marty down again.

"Oh no, Jeff, it's that crazy dog from yesterday!"

Smoky had squeezed his eyes shut during this, but when he popped them back open he nearly killed over at who he saw. "Unc-Uncle Chief?" This completely blew the pup's mind. He had thought that he was dead all this time, even thought it was his fault! Before he could ask how in the heck he had survived the blow to the head, he felt himself getting snatched up by the scruff of the neck

"Come on, kids, let's go!" Chief said with a mouth full of puppy, making a quick exit towards the door just when Copper was able to get back on his feet again. Truth be told, the hound was quite surprised to see that Chief had suddenly shown up, but he immediately went back into fighting mode when Marty started rising from the floor.

"Oh my gosh!" Ace had to gasp. "It's–It's Uncle Chief! Beulah, he's alive!"

"Oh wow, I don't believe it!" Beulah cried, absolutely stunned. "Boy, do we owe Smoke an apology."

"We can do that later, let's just follow him and get out of here!" Ace told her. He called Autumn and Swift over and together they made a run for the door. Chief got up on his back legs and pawed at the door handle and eventually the door came open. The animals noticed this and they all stampeded across the warehouse in order to be free at last. Chief dumped Smoky on the ground next to the rest of the kids and said, "Stay there," before rushing back into the house to have _his_ share of "fun".

"Jeff this is crazy! We got two dogs and a fox trying to kill us!" Marty screamed when he was being ambushed by the older dog.

"Yeah, I didn't sign onto this deal to get massacred!" Jeff added, at long last flinging Tod off of him. "Let's get out of here!"

They fought their way through the mass of escaping animals and high-tailed it for their truck. When they reached it, they turned on the motor and slammed down on the gas pedal and they tore themselves out of there.

* * *

A forest ranger was up in his watchtower drinking his usual mug of coffee when he thought he heard some strange noises coming from the east. He listened closer and found the noise to be . . . a bunch of dogs? A some men? Mixed in with the sounds of some other animals? What on earth?

The ranger grabbed up the phone and called headquarters immediately. "Sir, this is Ranger Greer. I'm picking up the weirdest noises . . ."

"Describe please."

"Well, there's a few dogs barking, some men yelling, and I could have sworn I heard a baby deer, a raccoon, a fox, some hawks . . ."

"Wait a minute. We were told to be on the look out for some men who may or may not be poaching all the animals—Jeffrey and Marty Walden. We also have reason to believe that they have kidnapped some dogs as well. Where are the noises coming from?"

"The east of me sir, in sector 12."

"Okay, ranger, get down there and we'll have some men down to assist you. Don't let the Walden brothers escape!"

* * *

Amos was still moping around his house. Things had been so quiet without Chief, Copper, and the pups. Belle was outside in her doghouse, worrying her head off about the family. What if something had happened to them all? What if she never saw them again?

Amos was about to plop down in his chair and help himself to a lonely dinner of squirrel mulligan when his telephone rang. Thinking maybe something had come up about the dogs, he quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Amos Slade?"

"Yes, that's me."

"We believe we may have located your missing dogs. We're sending a couple of our men down to your farm to escort you down there to identify them. Be ready to go in about twenty minutes."

"Twenty minutes? I'm ready _now_, hurry up and send them over!"

Yay, now the humans have finally located them, and Amos is on his way! And, more yay, Chief arrived on the scene in the nick of time! Now Smoky doesn't have to feel guilty about having accidentally killed him! What's to happen next? Keep reading to find out, and please review!


	15. Quality Time

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: I understand, I hate it when my review doesn't go in either! Keep reading!

SunRise19: Don't worry about that, besides Amos will be too glad to see his dogs to want to shoot foxes anyway. Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Wow, now I have _dynamite_ work! That's one compliment I haven't heard yet! Thanks, and keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part One: The Younger Years**

**Chapter Fifteen: Quality Time**

The kids were over-thrilled to see their loved ones again. Swift and Autumn were busy yakking to Tod about what all had happened to them. He was so happy to see them, he didn't even think about punishing them for running away in the first place.

Copper was being greeted with kisses from his three puppies, and they were all talking at the same time about what happened that he really couldn't understand what they were saying. But it didn't matter, he was glad to see them again.

Smoky scampered over to Chief and wrapped his front paws around the older dog's leg to give him a hug. "I'm sorry for what happened, Uncle Chief, I didn't mean for any of it to happen!"

"_What_ are you talking about? You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes I did! It was my idea for us to cross the fence while you were sleepin', and I got us kidnapped, and then you got hurt, and we all thought you were dead, and I thought it was all my fault and—"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down!" Chief told him. "Sonny, it's okay. I'm fine, honest to goodness I am. You're too young to be blaming yourself for stuff that's out of your control. You're a kid, you want to go exploring, and that's fine. I should of been watching you kids more closely. So you stop worrying yourself over this kind of thing, and be a kid."

"You mean that?"

"Of course I do. Now you run along and play with your . . . friends," he finished slowly, seeing the two fox cubs. He gave a sigh. Oh well, Copper had played with a fox when he was pup, so why couldn't his kids do the same thing? Smoky gave Chief a lick on the nose before running off with his siblings to see the fox cubs.

"Hey, uh, Smoky?" Swift said a little nervously. "Sorry I was acting like a big jerk and all earlier. And I never actually thanked you for—"

"Please, don't thank me," Smoky interrupted, holding a paw in the air. "It was nothing. And I'm sorry for being a jerk too. Friends?"

Swift smiled. "Okay, friends."

Tod and Copper watched their children with pride. They may or may not have gotten along with each other, but it seemed that they were friends now.

"Brings back old memories, huh?" Tod finally said as he watched them all romp in the grass.

"Sure does," Copper responded, remembering when he and Tod first met. But a roaring sound approaching them all ceased him from looking back into the past. They all immediately recognized the sound as some trucks coming towards them. Tod called his two cubs over to him.

"I hate to run, but we need to get out of here. Vixey is probably worried to death over us," Tod told them. "Say good-bye, kids."

"Good-bye, Ace! 'Bye, Beulah! 'Bye, Smoky!" the cubs waved.

"It was nice seeing you again, Tod," Copper told the fox before he disappeared into the forest.

"You too, pal. Maybe we'll run into each other again sometime."

"Yeah. Well, you guys better go before the humans see you and want to hunt you down or something."

"Right, come on cubs, let's go see Mom!"

With that, the foxes dashed off into the woods, leaving the five hounds by the empty warehouse. The pups all wagged their tails, glad they had made friends with Swift and Autumn after all.

"I'm going to miss having a girl to talk to," Beulah sighed when the foxes were out of sight. "It was nice getting to meet new people."

"Yeah. You reckon will ever see them again, Ace?" Smoky asked.

He shrugged. "Maybe. I'm sure we will someday, but not anytime soon."

By this time, about three jeeps had pulled up, one of them belonging to their Master, Amos. When he saw his missing dogs, he slammed on the brakes, parked the truck, and jumped out to see them. Belle was with him as well, and she rushed over to see the family.

All the dogs greeted Amos with wagging tails and happy barks. He pulled the two older dogs into a hug and the puppies bounced around at his heels. When they saw their mother, they ran over to see her. She gave them all a kiss, glad they were safe, and then rubbed noses with Copper.

"Mr. Slade, we caught the two men that were working for your brother," the sheriff said to Amos. "They should be spending about a couple of years in jail, considering that they can't pay the fine. And they _swear_ that they didn't know they had taken the puppies either."

"Oh please! Criminals, they are such liars."

* * *

Tod and the cubs watched the happy little reunion from the top of a far off boulder. He was glad to see that Copper had managed to form a happy family just like the fox had done himself. Autumn pawed her dad's leg, causing him to look down.

"Daddy, are we ever going to see them again?" she asked.

"I don't know, sweetie. You might, you might not. But I wouldn't count on it being anytime soon."

Swift sighed. "It's going to be weird just having a girl to hang around again. I got used to having guys around."

"Speak for yourself, I have to put up with you _alone_ again," Autumn told her brother, although she didn't really mean it. "Come on, Daddy, let's go home."

Aw, the kids found their parents, Amos found his dogs again, and nobody died! But _will _they? Don't forget, there's a **part two** to this fic, for whenever the kids are about a year old. They may be friends _now_ but will they continue to be so when tragedy once again strikes? Stay tuned, and please review!


	16. Heaven's Light, Earth's Darkness

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Cathy: Actually, that is kinda what the rest of the story is about, what you wrote in your review, lol! But it doesn't ALL go like that, there are a few little things added into it.

The Next Political Dynasty: You hit the jackpot! Keep reading to see the beginning OF the beginning to the storm!

Anonymous but Impressed: I'm touched, I really am touched that you said that. Sometimes I wonder why I'm not in college to become a novelist instead of in pre-pharmacy, lol!

Tonyboy: Thanks! Yes, as you can see I continued with my part two plan. I don't have any ideas about another sequel, but I DO have a MIDQUEL planned out to write, and an alternate universe story in which I change things up by making Copper a GIRL dog named Chloe. Yeah, sounds weird, but should be interesting.

SunRise19: Hm, you're right I _do_ need some romance! I'll ponder upon that, how to stick romance into this crazy story, lol. Keep reading!

A/N: Okay, here's part two of the legacy! Remember, the cubs and pups are now about one year old and they have not seen each other since they were rescued from the poachers. Be warned, this part of the story is going to be kinda dark. That is, if I write it right. **This is when it starts getting Pg-13. And do read the chapter dedication at the end.**

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Sixteen: Heaven's Light, Earth's Darkness**

Widow Tweed frowned as she looked over the dog lying on the table in Amos' kitchen. Amos had been noticing that his old dog's health was getting drastically worse as the days went by—it started out with occasional coughing fits, but now it had gotten worse and was usually accompanied with a spit up of blood. To add to this, he eventually got so weak that he was unable to walk and couldn't eat or drink . . . even with assistance.

"How on earth did he get in this condition?" Widow Tweed asked Amos as the old hunter rubbed Chief's head. The dog gave a painful whine in response.

"I don't know," Amos admitted with a frown. "What do you think _is_ wrong with him?"

"I would say he has something dreadfully wrong with his kidneys. I had a cat die from kidney failure in the same manner as this poor thing."

"But he's always been so healthy, never had a problem with him being sick until now. Well, except that time he got hit by a freight train and broke a leg."

"Hit by a train?" the widow repeated him. "Well, no wonder he's got kidney problems. The accident must have done something to them to make them start acting up."

"But that was almost two years ago!"

"It doesn't matter. If he were a younger dog, the symptoms may not have shown up for another three or four years." She gave Chief a pat on the head when he started whining again. The pain . . . excruciating pain. Why didn't the humans do something about it, take it away? Couldn't they see he was dying?

He started coughing again and, as expected, a stream of blood came flowing out of his mouth. Amos grabbed a towel to clean it off the table, but it didn't seem to help because the blood kept on coming.

"Oh Amos, we're losing him!"

"No, not this fighter here. Come on, old boy!"

But Chief didn't hear a word. He just saw a bright light in the distance, and it got brighter and brighter . . . and then all was still.

* * *

The next morning was an eerily gloomy and rainy day. Dark clouds gathered over the sky as Amos and the remaining members of his hound family circled around the little dirt mound with a wooden cross stuck behind it. Copper did his best not to cry in front of the children, although they were now around one year old, and Belle moved closer to him for support. 

Their three pups, Ace, Smoky, and Beulah had tears running down their muzzles throughout the whole procession. At one point Beulah wiped her eyes on Ace's shoulder, even if it was raining outside and they were soaking wet anyway.

Amos at long last put his hat back on his head and trudged on back to the house. He wasn't about to catch a case of pneumonia standing out there all day, but the dogs remained. None of them said anything, until finally Belle said,

"Kids, let's leave your father alone and let's go back to the house."

Beulah got up right away, unable to stand the feeling of depression looming in the air, and Ace got up a few seconds after she did. Smoky stayed put for a while, still not having got over the shock of finding out "Uncle" Chief was gone. He rose slowly on all four paws and, while looking back, he followed his mother and siblings back to the house—since it was raining, the Master had decided to let them all stay inside.

When they were all gone, Copper let out a deep sigh. "Well, old-timer. Looks like time finally caught up with you. Thought you were going to be around forever. Heh, I have to admit it, it was sometimes rough to get along with you, but somehow we turned out all right. You were always telling me what to do as a pup, but I guess you had your reasons. Always thought of you as a dad, since I never knew mine and I barely remember my mother. I sincerely appreciate you putting up with me.

"And of course I'm forever grateful that you helped raise my children. They were lucky having you as an uncle, and I know they loved you to death. Especially Smoky, I swear, he idolized you. He still does in fact, whether or not you realized it or not, even while you were still sick." Copper pondered on that and took a deep breath. "That's why I hope he doesn't take this too hard, but I already know he will. Heh, too bad you couldn't stick around through the adolescent years. But to put things briefly . . . we all loved you and you'll be greatly, greatly missed. One day, I hope to see you in that big Dog Kennel in the Sky."

Copper wiped his eyes with one of his front paws before turning away from the small burial site, going back towards his waiting family where they were waiting for him under the porch.

* * *

OMG, I totally almost came to the point of crying while writing that. See, that's how my first dog (the REAL Smoky) died—so all that stuff Widow Tweed said about kidneys and mess is true. Okay, time for a chapter dedication! 

**CHAPTER DEDICATION: I dedicate this chapter to two souls I had in mind while writing this. First off, to my dog Smoky, who was a childhood friend of mine whom I watched suffer a hit-and-run by a Suburban, yet survived for about four years before dying of kidney failure. Since I didn't get a chance to say good-bye . . . I'm telling you now, old pup, I loved you from the day you were born that cold December night in my backyard. I was only seven years old at the time, but I took it upon myself to become a substitute mother to you. Hope you are having fun in the big "Dog Kennel in the Sky". **

**And in the memory of actor Pat Buttram (1915-1994), one of my favorite actors of all time, who played the voice of Chief in the movie "The Fox and the Hound", whose cause of death was kidney failure as well.** **Sir, I hope I get a chance to shake your hand in heaven.**

(Stayed tuned for chapter seventeen!)


	17. Heaven Help Me

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: I'm glad someone else cried, I was bawling when I was describing the death scene and Copper's eulogy. And bawled while writing the dedications, I swear. Be prepared to do more crying later on, trust me.

SunRise19: I know, everything must die sadly, and things always get worse b4 getting better! Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Yeah, it was a lot more depressing than I had planned out for it to be, but I guess that's good in drama. More teary material ahead!

Tonyboy: I know, I totally love that dog! Heh heh, have I got a surprise for all of you guys, so if you keep on reading the story, you'll find out what it is!!!

Forever Young: Sorry, what's "sporatic" mean? Did I even spell that right? Whatever it means, hope you keep reading and thanks for reviewing!

Cathy: You weren't imagining it, he did play a small part in back to the future 3, as one of the guys that hung out in the saloon all day. I'm sorry about your dog too, I completely understand. I have wondered why we didn't get my dog new kidneys, but we just didn't have the money for it back then. Hm, I'm not telling you if Ace'll die or not, you'll have to keep reading to find out!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Seventeen:** **Heaven Help Me**

It had been one week since Chief's funeral on the farm, but it was obvious that it was taking its toll. Amos was still rather depressed over the loss of a dog that he'd had for almost ten years. Copper felt odd not having a "superior" to get advice from, and Belle felt awkward with Copper acting so quiet all the time. Beulah was attempting to get over it all, since she hated how grievous everyone was acting. Ace was trying as well, since he felt it his duty to keep the family from falling apart. Typical big brother behavior.

Smoky, on the other hand, felt like the world had come crashing down on his head. He hadn't spoken to anybody since he heard the news that Uncle Chief wasn't coming back. Copper had feared this behavior from his youngest son, but he wasn't sure on how to approach the matter so he decided that perhaps he would eventually get over it.

He didn't. In fact, Smoky was completely heartbroken. As a pup, he thought he had lost him once because of that stupid mistake he had made on making he and his siblings wander out into the forest and getting kidnapped. As a result, Chief ended up getting knocked unconscious for almost a day and poor Smoky thought he had somehow managed to kill him.

Remembering the pain he felt when he thought the supposed death of his uncle was on his shoulders, Smoky choked back a sob. He couldn't allow himself to cry in front of the family. Everybody was sad enough as it was without having to deal with his emotions.

_It's all my fault_, the black-and-tan hound thought to himself as he stared mindlessly at the open field. _You died because of me. Not right away, but you died later on because of what I had done. I got us pups kidnapped, you came to rescue us, and you got whacked in the head. I had thought it killed you, but no, the blow must not have taken effect right away. It must have taken a few months for your brain to finally malfunction because of it. That's why you died. The Master or the widow woman didn't tell us how you died, but I figured it out as soon as the news came out. Heaven help me, I am so sorry. I wish I could somehow redeem myself, gain forgiveness for this sin._

Smoky closed his eyes, unable to look into the field any longer, and tears rolled down his face just as it had done when he was in that pen at the warehouse he and his siblings had been transported to so many months ago.

Thinking about those hours in the warehouse, he suddenly remembered the two fox cubs that had been there with them the entire time—Swift and Autumn. Oh he remembered how he and Swift fought, each blaming the other for what had happened and being so prejudice against one another. Eventually, they became friends after they got over their ego problems and when Smoky, in an unusual act of mercy, saved Swift from getting hit by one of the "bad guys". The hound wondered whatever became of the fox family after they said their good-byes.

* * *

Swift grabbed one of his little brothers by the scruff of the neck just when the little rascal was about to bite into a mushroom. The little cub glared up at his "babysitter" when he had been refused from eating his new discovery. 

"Swift, put me down, I just want to taste it," the cub whined.

"Blaze, how many times do I have to say it," Swift began, his mouth full of cub. "You can't go eating everything you find. You don't know what's poisonous and what's not. And _that_ mushroom happens to be poisonous."

Blaze was a little shocked that he knew this, but he kept his trap shut and continued glaring. He hated it when he wasn't allowed to do anything he wanted.

Tod and Vixey had Swift and Autumn the first time they tried to start a family. Whenever those two got a little older, the couple gave birth again—this time to _four_ cubs instead of just two, Blaze being one of them.

"Looks like we got the six cubs that you wanted, Vixey," Tod had teased whenever the last of the four cubs had been born, remembering that she had said she wanted six cubs on the day they had met. And now that those four were older, Autumn and Swift had their paws full trying to help keep them out of trouble.

"I can't wait until I start a family," Autumn would say as she would pull out a thorn from one of their little paws. Swift would always laugh and say something along the lines of "You're insane, I _never_ want a family now."

And he still felt that way as he carried Blaze back to his three sisters. Poor little guy, having to deal with _three_ girls! And he thought he had it bad whenever it was just him and Autumn!

"Heaven help me, if this babysitting business doesn't kill me, I don't know what will!"

Okay, so Smoky's wanting redemption and Swift has four little rascals to put up with on a daily basis. And just how am I going to tie all this together? You'll find out, but only if you keep reading!


	18. A Hunting We Will Go, Part One

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: You'll find out soon, I promise, so keep reading! And hope you had a good birthday yesterday!

SunRise19: The trick is that I write all the chapters for a one-week span during the weekend, then on Monday when I have no homework I put all the chapters up onto document manager and keep them there until I'm ready to update the story. It's much easier and less stressful!

narfgirl: It's very sad, I should know, I had to watch my dog suffer the exact same thing. Glad you like the name Blaze, I always rather liked it! Actually, that was going to be Swift's original name, but I decided I liked Swift better b/c that was the name of the fox on a tv show I used to watch as a kid.

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you, oh boy dynamite, lol! Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Eighteen: A-Hunting We Will Go, Part One**

The next day, Smoky was awakened by his sister tugging on his ear in attempts to get him up. Groggily he held his head up and shook himself awake, not knowing what on earth she could possibly want.

"Smoky, wake up already, we're going to go hunting!" Beulah said in a bouncy voice.

"Say what?" Smoky asked, not sure if he heard her right. "The Master wants to go hunting _now_?"

"Yep, but it's just going to be us and Ace. Momma and Daddy are staying here. The Master wants us to see how we do on our own," she explained.

Smoky registered all of this in his brain as he rose to all fours and stretched himself in his barrel doghouse. He didn't understand why the Master suddenly was out of his depressed state and wanting to go hunting, but he wasn't going to complain. He needed to get away from there for a few hours.

Ace was already in the jeep, barking at his two younger siblings to get moving. Beulah skipped over there and hopped in beside him, Smoky trailing behind. Watching them, Copper and Belle felt a sense of pride. Their babies were going off on their own.

"Oh, Copper, but I'm so worried," Belle had to confess. "What if something goes wrong? One of them could get hurt, or lost, or—"

"Stop worrying," Copper chuckled. "Everything's going to be fine. We taught them everything we know, which is a darn lot. Trust me, they're going to come home safe and sound."

"I hope you're right, but still I can't help but think something awful is going to happen . . . "

Copper gave her a kiss. "You're such a mother."

* * *

Tod and Vixey woke up in time to see their three younger daughters engage themselves in trying to catch a butterfly. One of them would jump up to grab the delicate creature, when another one would do the exact same thing and they would all end up hitting each other on the head and come crashing down in giggles. Autumn was laughing along with them of course, Blaze was laughing _at_ them, and Swift looked on boredly. Tod noticed this, being the observant father that he is. 

"What's wrong, Swift, not having fun?"

"You call this _fun_?" the younger fox replied, rolling his eyes slightly. "I'm bored out of my mind, Dad."

Tod had known for a while that Swift got pretty restless after spending all his days helping babysit the four new additions to the family. It was quite typical of his oldest son to be that way—he had always been the adventurous one. Perhaps it was time to let him take some time off.

"I'll tell you what," Tod began. "I'll let you take the day off—"

"Day off?" Swift replied, his ears perking up. "You're joking, right? Day off?"

"Let me finish. I'll let you take the day off, _but_ I don't want you running around the woods doing absolutely nothing. You go out and find some food for the cubs, and I might think about letting you help out in that department from now on."

Swift stared at his father for a second, then jumped up and said, "That is _way_ better than what I'm doing now. Okay, just bring back something to eat, huh? No problem, see you later!"

Nice, Belle's having foreboding senses of doom, and now the hound pups and Swift are going hunting at the same time! Are they going to run into each other, and if they do what will happen? Keep reading to find out and please review!


	19. A Hunting We Will Go, Part Two

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: lol, I hope you had a good b-day anyway! Okay, here's part two to the last chappie, so keep reading!

SunRise19: Thanks, and you are very welcome for the tip! Anything for fellow writers, keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Lol, I had a heart-attack when I saw all those review alerts in my inbox, and then I was like "wait....these are the same one over and over!!!" Lol, it's okay, I love it when my inbox is full no matter what it is! Keep reading, although I know you will!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Nineteen: A-Hunting We Will Go, Part Two**

Swift was out up in the more mountainous region of the forest. He always loved going up there, it was just so breathtakingly beautiful. Down below he could see the train tracks that the daily train passed by on. His father, Tod, never did like going around there. Swift had asked him why one time as a cub, but Tod never answered, so he never asked again.

Up ahead, he caught the scent of a rabbit. That would be an easy kill, so Swift tucked his legs up under him and pushed himself forward. The sudden movement scared the rabbit out of hiding, and the two began in a long chase around the mountain side.

* * *

Amos had parked the jeep somewhere around the base of one of the neighboring mountains that they resided near. The old hunter heard the distant sound of the daily train, remembering sadly that day Chief was hit. And now he was gone because of it. But the dogs didn't know about that, and didn't _need_ to know about that, so he didn't say anything. Hopefully the pups would have enough sense to stay away from the tracks. 

He leaned down and rubbed the three of them on the head. "All right, you rascals, let's see if ya'll are really hunting dogs like you were bred to be."

He gave a whistle, and all three of them went busting out of the truck and straight into the woods. Although Amos couldn't hear them, the pups were having a last-minute talk about their "game plan".

"All right, Smoky, you take the eastern side, and Beulah you take the west," Ace immediately instructed, being the natural-born leader that he was. "I'll keep going straight. Whoever finds something first, howl. Then the rest of us will catch up. Ready, and GO!"

With that, the three of them excitedly went into the direction that they were told to go in. It was a very good maneuver, for they would be able to cover more ground that way. Smoky's mind became temporarily cleared from the guilt he felt. Hunting always seemed to perk him up, so he decided he was going to have some _fun_ hunting down those varmints for the Master!

* * *

Ace had gone quite a ways up the mountainside, and still hadn't found any fresh scents of game animals. He was beginning to lose hope when he _did_ at last find something—fox. A young one from the smell of it, maybe a cub. Ace had long ago swore himself against hunting baby animals, so he overlooked it. A baby fox, that brought back memories of his few hours with cubs Swift and Autumn. He wondered what they were doing at that moment when he thought he heard something from a bush. 

He perked up his long ears and stood there growling at the bush, wondering what would pop out. Instead of getting a possum, rabbit, or a quail what he got was . . . a baby fox. Possibly the one whose scent Ace had found earlier. Ace and the cub stared at each other for a minute, when Ace finally let out a sigh.

"Kid, don't you know better than to wander around on your own?" he asked, and saw the cub's eyes grow big. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you, now what are you doing here alone?"

The cub swallowed and spoke. "I-I was looking for my big brother. He went hunting and I got bored so I followed him. But then I lost him because he went so fast and now I don't know where I am."

"Oh. Hm, okay, here's a deal," Ace told him, leaning his head down to whisper. "I'll help you find your brother, but only if you promise not to wander around on your own again. You could have run into a hunter or another dog who wouldn't have been as nice as I am."

"Yeah, sure, okay," the cub said, his nervousness wearing off a little bit. "My name's Blaze by the way."

"I'm Ace. Let's go find your brother."

So Ace has found a runaway Blaze, and they are about to run into Swift again! Will he and Ace remember each other? Will they still be friends? Will anything bad happen as a result? Keep reading to find out, and please review!


	20. Reunited

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: We'll see if they find his brother, but you can prolly already guess anyway, lol, so keep reading!

SunRise19: Oops, didn't know it was THAT short, but glad you liked it anyway. Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Lol, yes your review came in nice and smooth so no need to worry! Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty: Reunited**

Ace and Blaze made their way through the forest as quietly as possible. The hound hadn't heard his brother or sister howling yet, so he figured they weren't having any luck either. At least they didn't have a baby fox to babysit for a precious few minutes. Blaze reminded him of Swift as a cub, and he wondered briefly if the two might be related.

When they heard the sound of bushes rustling, they tensed up, when suddenly a rabbit burst out of the hedges and ran straight between Ace's legs. About a split-second later, an adult fox came charging out but _he_ stopped dead when he saw Ace. The fox saw Blaze standing beside him, and immediately he started to growl threateningly.

"Get back and stay away from my brother!" he snarled. "Blaze, get over here by me _now_!"

"But, Swift, he's not going to hurt me," Blaze insisted. "He's nice, he was helping me find you."

"Yeah, right I'm sure that he—"

"Swift?" Ace asked, repeating the name that Blaze had called his brother. "Swift, is that really you?"

Swift stopped growling and stared at Ace for a moment as if trying to remember him. "Ace? Are you serious, you're Ace?"

The dog's tail began to wag, glad that Swift still remembered him. "Yeah, it's really me. Boy, you've really grown."

"Not nearly as much as you, you're a pretty big guy now," the fox said, getting a look of confusion from Blaze.

"Wait a minute, hold it, you two _know_ each other?"

The two of them had forgotten that the cub was there, and tensed when they heard his voice. "Uh, yeah, when we were kids," Swift explained. "But only for about a day."

"Yeah. What are you doing out here anyway? How's Autumn?"

"She's fine. We have four more siblings now, Blaze here being the only boy. And I'm doing the same thing I assume _you're_ doing. Hunting."

"Oh, yeah, I guess I could have guessed that."

"What about you, how's your family?"

"Well, Beulah's still acting like she used to, and Smoky thankfully got a reality check on his ego," he chuckled, before frowning again. "But Uncle Chief died about a week ago, and he's real upset about it."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. I remember how bad it tore him up when he thought _he_ killed him," Swift remembered. "Well, Blaze, I think we'd better get out of here before—Blaze? Blaze, where are you!"

They both heard a shout coming from the distance and they ran until they could see the railroad tracks about one-fourth of a mile away. And there sitting right in the middle of them was Blaze. He had found a frog to chase after and obviously led him to the tracks. And it appeared that his paw had gotten stuck in between the planks. And the whistle of the train was getting louder and louder.

SORRY SO SHORT!!!

Oh no, the train's coming and poor Blaze is stuck! Who will save him? What will happen? Gotta keep reading to find out!


	21. Another Tragedy Strikes

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: It is scary, I know I would be petrified! Keep reading!

Cathy: If you've seen then movie, then yes I hope you can see where this is going. You'll find out what happens in this chappie, so keep reading!!

SunRise19: Man, you are a mind-reader, lol! Keep reading to see if you're right!

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you, and it gets even more dynamic as you'll see in this chappie!!!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-One: Another Tragedy Strikes**

"Help!" Blaze screamed as the train got closer and closer. "Help, Swift, my paw's stuck, help!"

"Oh my gosh, Blaze!" Swift yelled, taking off down the hill with Ace right behind him. But Swift was in such a hurry to get there on time that he didn't see the pointed rock in front of him, so he tripped on it and cut his paw, stumbling to the ground.

Ace didn't bother to help him. If that cub died before he got there, he would never be able to forgive himself. Racing against the huge engine, who was now about five minutes away, Ace finally made it to the tracks where Blaze was still trying to get his paw unstuck. Ace wrapped his jaws around his little body and gently but firmly tugged on him. At long last, Blaze came a-loose and hurriedly scampered away to safety.

Ace moved to follow him, but noticed that something was dreadfully wrong. When he had moved forward, his back leg became wedged in the same hole that he had just freed Blaze from. He pulled and tugged to get himself out, but he just couldn't. He looked up just in time to see the huge train engine come over him and then . . .

* * *

Smoky heard his brother howling from miles away, but knew that it wasn't the howl that he gave when he had found a rabbit or something. This howl had . . . pain etched into. Like he was in trouble. Smoky's heart leapt to his throat when he heard the train whistle blow. _Oh no, please tell me Ace didn't . . . _

The black-and-tan hound wasted no time in racing through the trees to try and locate where he had heard the howl coming from. He panted heavily as he searched all along the underside of the bridge until coming across the small stream. And that's when he saw it.

Ace was lying in the stream on his side, and he wasn't moving. Not a breath seemed to pass from his body, not a hair moved on him. Smoky stood dead still for a minute in shock but then found himself running to him and screaming his name.

"Ace! Ace, are you okay! Ace, _please_ wake up! Don't leave me, Ace, don't you leave me too!" But he knew that his brother was dead. He was gone from the earth, just like Uncle Chief was. Now he had two loved ones that he admired and respected gone from his life. But how? How? Ace wasn't stupid, he would never go near the tracks unless it was for a good reason.

He felt the hot tears running down his face. "Ace, oh gosh, Ace, why you? Why do you have to leave me too?" He nudged his nose against Ace's heavy head, but of course he didn't get a response.

Smoky was still frazzled and confused about how the incident had happened in the first place, when he heard something moving up above him. Confused, he stepped back a little ways and looked up. What he saw blew his mind.

"Swift?" he whispered softly as he saw the shape of a fox up on top of the bridge. He couldn't believe it. He hadn't seen Swift since he was a pup. Smoky nearly fainted. No. No, Swift wouldn't do anything like _this_. He wouldn't kill Ace, why would he? But still . . .

Smoky slowly glared his eyes and growled. "Swift! I know that's you, Swift! And I know you remember me! And this isn't the last time you'll see me Swift! Because I'm going to hunt you down, and you will _pay_ for this!"

* * *

Belle was eagerly waiting for the return of her children, along with Copper who was standing next to her. She still had worries about them being on their own, and it drove her crazy that Copper didn't feel the same way. But he _did _feel the same way. He was just as worried about them as she was, he just didn't want to admit it. 

Finally the jeep came slowly rolling down the driveway. Belle let out a sigh of relief as Copper gave her a "Told You So" look. She saw Smoky and Beulah quietly and slowly getting out of the truck, and got confused when she didn't see Ace doing the same.

"Kids? Where's your brother?" Copper asked for her, confused himself. "Why the long faces? Kids?"

"Oh, Mom! Daddy!" Beulah bawled upon reaching them. "Ace is dead! He was hit by a train and he died!"

It was like a knife stabbing through their hearts to hear that. Belle blanked out. "No. No." She saw Amos carrying her lifeless son and taking him to the house. "No. NO!!!!"

She ran into her doghouse barrel and bawled her eyes out, only repeating the words "NO, my baby! MY BABY!" Beulah fell down and started crying as well. No more pretend, she was devastated over losing an uncle _and_ a brother all in one week. Smoky tried hard not to cry and hid himself in his barrel to prevent himself from doing so. Copper . . . didn't say a word. First Chief gets hit, then Ace. But Ace died instantly from it while Chief had died later on from it. But the kids didn't need to know that _that_ was the cause of Chief's death, or they would be traumatized of trains forever.

Dun dun dun, history just repeats itself doesn't it? Well, except when Copper did the same thing with Tod, Chief wasn't dead just injured, but you get what I mean. Will Smoky go after Swift in revenge all because of a misunderstanding? Will Swift have to "flee the country" or at least that certain forest? How on earth are the parents going to react to all of this? If you'll review, I'll continue the story, and then you'll be able to find out!


	22. Two Wooden Crosses

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Very sad, oh please don't melt you have to read the rest of the story! _sticks TNPD in a freezer to keep from melting_ Just kidding, lol, keep reading!

SunRise19: Yes, very sad, and we'll have to see if Smoky does go through with the revenge or not. Keep reading!

Anonymous but Curious: Like the slight change in your name, lol! Yeah I feel sorry for both of them too, but to me that just makes the whole story worth reading, which I hope you keep doing!

Frostbite: Thanks! Yeah, I always close my eyes during that part b/c I don't like watching Chief getting hit by the train. Why did Copper blame Tod? Read my songfic "No Way Out" and it kinda explains why he did. Keep reading!

Narfgirl: I know, but remember Swift's paw got cut up by a rock earlier so it would have taken him forever to get down there where Ace was. And yes, at least Blaze was rescued, that's the important thing. Keep reading!

Cathy: Yes, the strongest one dies, kinda ironic, huh? Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Two: Two Wooden Crosses**

That evening was a dark and dreary one for the family. Twice in one week had they lost a family member. The two girls cried throughout the whole funeral procession as Ace was laid to rest beside where Chief had been buried only last week. Instead of one wooden cross, there were now two. Smoky stayed silent in his thoughts the entire time, and Copper was trying to ease his wife and daughter's misery. But Smoky was half paying attention to all of that.

Ace, his dear older brother, was gone. He had passed into the great beyond, that big Dog Kennel in the Sky. Would the suffering never end? Smoky already felt responsible for the prolonged death of Chief, but now Ace? But Ace's death wasn't _his_ fault. He remembered quite clearly looking up and seeing the familiar face of Swift, that fox that he hadn't seen since childhood.

He hadn't liked Swift at first, and Swift didn't like him either, but Smoky had thought they had become friends that day they were rescued. So why did Swift have to go and kill his brother? And how could he have done it? Did he lead him to the railroad tracks just when the train was passing and then allow the engine to smash Ace?

Just thinking about how the situation could have happened made Smoky extremely angry. What on earth did Swift think he was doing? Ace was the one that had been nice to him as a pup, even defended him sometimes when Smoky lashed out at him. Smoky had even "saved" him from getting a beating from one of the kidnappers! Now he was regretting it.

Amos finally put the shovel down, looked sadly at the two mounds, then silently walked back towards the cabin. Belle and Beulah, unable to stand the depression any longer, went back to their barrels to calm down. Copper looked over at his remaining son and sighed. He knew how much those two had meant to him. He may have argued with Ace some, but he knew that he loved his brother, and darn well knew he loved Chief.

Knowing it would take time for Smoky to get over this shock, Copper turned away and went back to the rest of the family. Smoky continued to stare at the graves, trying to figure out how he could possibly survive this ordeal. First he killed Uncle Chief, and now Swift kills Ace. What on earth was a pup to do?

_Wait a minute_, he thought suddenly._ Maybe this could be my chance to redeem myself for causing Uncle Chief's death. Since Swift killed my brother, it's pretty obvious that I must go after him. Once I avenge Ace's death, then I'll be forgiven for Uncle Chief's death. Heh, I'd be killing two birds with one stone: avenging Ace's death and getting forgiveness._

He looked up into the dark clouds that were looming overhead, and his mind was made up. In the morning, he would set off early into the forest . . . and hunt Swift down.

* * *

Tod couldn't believe this was happening. Swift had just told him about what had happened to Ace at the train tracks. It sounded remarkably like what had happened with Copper and himself such a long time ago. Chief had been chasing the fox along the tracks, got hit with the train, and although he had miraculously survived Copper had sworn revenge on the fox and in some way felt it would redeem himself for having caused the error in the first place. 

"Well, son," Tod breathed at last. "Does Smoky know that it wasn't your fault?"

"I didn't talk to him. As soon as I heard him threaten me, I grabbed Blaze up and ran back home." He sighed deeply. "Dad, what am I going to do? If I remember Smoky, he _will_ come after me."

Tod looked back at the den towards Vixey, Autumn, and the four cubs. He didn't want the girls to know what had happened, so he had sworn Blaze to secrecy. Besides, if Vixey knew about this, she would more than likely suffer a heart attack. He turned back to Swift.

"I honestly don't know, son," he answered his previous question. He didn't dare tell him about his own incident with a vengeful hunting dog.

"Well . . . I don't want the rest of the family getting involved. This is going to be between me and Smoky, that is if anything happens at all. Maybe I should leave for a while—"

"Hold it, you're not thinking about running from your problems are you?" Tod asked him. "That's not the way to handle it. You'll look even more guilty."

"Dad, I know, but I don't know what else to do. I'll go off on my own so that Smoky won't think to come near you guys. And then whatever happens, happens."

Tod didn't like this idea, but he realized that his son was old enough to make his own decisions and live with the consequences. He gave him a fatherly smile.

"Whatever you think is best. Good luck."

And with that, Swift turned tail and bolted into the forest . . . away from the family, and as far away from Smoky as he could get in one night. And as far as he could go on a very sore foot, thanks to a certain stupid rock. If only that rock hadn't been in the way, then perhaps Ace wouldn't have been the one risking his life to save Blaze, who _was_ Swift's responsibility.

_Maybe it _is_ my fault after all_, Swift thought glumly as he exited the lives of his family and into unknown dangers.

Uh oh, Smoky's wanting to go after Swift in revenge AND for redemption. And now Swift has done run off! What will happen?


	23. Into the Darkness

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

I AM SOOOO SORRY, GUYS!!!!! I have had a ROUGH past two weeks what with early midterms and this psycho guy that keeps calling me, but I finally have chapter twenty three up so I hope you are all still with me here! SORRY!!

The Next Political Dynasty: finally got this thing updated! Hope you're still with me!

Frostbite: Yeah, it took me awhile to figure out why simba ran off in TLK as well, but I always knew for some reason why Copper went after Tod. Glad I cleared it up for you, and keep reading!

Anonymous but Curious: I'm sorry I kept you waiting, but like I said previously, I had a rough two weeks, and don't necessarily want to talk about it, but I hope you are still going to read my stuff!

SunRise19: Lol, it's spelled "suspense". Glad you think of this story like that, keep reading!

Tonyboy: I feel bad for all of them as well, and sorry but Swift won't get a chance to explain until WAY later! Also, I have some supernatural events coming up in the future, so that should be interesting. Keep reading!

Cathy: Sorry I worried you, and thank you for hoping I was okay. But I am okay, I just had a bad experience with an older guy and I was confused on how to handle it, but I had a talk with a trusted adult friend and now everything is fine. And at last you get to see what happens next!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Three: Into the Darkness**

Tod was unable to sleep the entire night. He just kept wondering how his son was managing on his own in the forest. He knew that Swift was able to fend for himself, but it was all a father's love and care that kept him up.

How coincidental was it that Swift would manage to get himself in the same mess that Tod himself had gotten into with his old friend Copper? It was almost as if it were _meant_ to happen. Perhaps Mother Nature had a plan after all, but at the rate it was going, no good would come from it.

Early that morning, Tod could bear it no longer. He had to speak to Copper about this feud that their sons were having. He didn't care if Amos did try and shoot him, this was important and the fathers needed to do something about it. So before the sun rose over the horizon and the rest of the fox family arose, Tod quietly exited the den and headed off for Copper's farm.

* * *

Smoky had stayed up all night, anxious to get going and track Swift down before he got too far. His mother, Belle, had been bawling continuously over Ace's death and Copper and Beulah had stayed up half of the night trying to calm her down. At long last, she ended up crying herself to sleep, therefore allowing the rest of the family to do so. Whenever the three of them were soundly sleeping, Smoky quietly pulled his collar off his rope in order to free himself and stole into the darkness.

As he walked, he could barely see the glimmer of sunlight that was beginning to peak out. The forest was beautiful, but Smoky didn't pay any attention to it. The only thing on his mind was avenging Ace's death and getting redemption for, in his mind, causing Chief's death. The poor dog never learned the actual truth of his uncle's departure, so his thoughts were clouded with the belief that he had been the one to cause the old dog's passing.

He had gone maybe two miles when he heard a strange noise in the bushes. He tensed up and froze, growling lowly in the direction of the noise. _Maybe it's Swift, _he thought as he prepared himself to pounce upon whoever emerged. At last, a figure did come through the bush . . . and it was a fox. The two creatures stared silently at each other for a second, each surprised to see the other. The fox was the first to speak.

"Um . . . are you Smoky?" the forest-dweller asked.

_No, it's not Swift_, Smoky thought glumly as he listened to this animal. "What's it to you?"

The fox was taken aback at the dog's rudeness, surprised that this was Copper's son. "Well, I heard quite a bit about you," he began. "My son told me what happened to your older brother."

_Oh my gosh, _Smoky said mentally, the hair rising on the back of his neck. _This is Swift's father. _"Yeah, I'm sure he told you plenty, huh? Did he also tell you that he is the one that caused his death?"

"Now listen, I think you are just assuming . . . "

"Shut up, will you?" Smoky growled. "I don't want to hear what you have to say. You're a relative to that murderer, and even worse you're the one who sired him. You're just as bad as he is, in my opinion."

Tod was beginning to get uncomfortable around this kid. He must've been really messed up with all the dying that had been going on. "Listen, Smoky, I understand that you're upset about your brother's death, but that is no reason to blame my son. He's a good kid, and I know that you two used to be friends and maybe you still can if you just take down the wall in front of you and realize that—"

But as Tod spoke all these things, Smoky's mind became filled with a terrible rage, and before the fox could finish lecturing him, the black-and-tan hound and suddenly lashed out and clamped his teeth around Tod's neck. He bit so hard and so fast that the fox could hardly think and wasn't quick enough to fight back. Smoky released him after a second, and growled,

"Don't think you can protect your son. His day his coming, and I am going to make sure it happens _soon_."

The fox weakly watched the hound exit off into the deep part of the woods, helpless and unable to keep him from leaving. He felt something cold and wet around his neck and realized that Smoky had bit him deep in his neck and drew blood. He tried to stand up and staggered to a nearby tree stump where he could prop himself up in order to breathe better. If he didn't get immediate help soon, he knew he might not make it. But how was he to get help if no one knew where he was?

Oh no, Tod's injured badly and Smoky is beginning to scare even ME! Don't freak out guys, he won't be this scary the entire time, he is my favorite puppy you know! Keep reading and please review!


	24. Good Samaritan

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

SunRise19: yes, spellchecker always saves the day, lol! keep reading!

The Next Political Dynasty: i'm all right, i'm getting over it finally, but anyways, thank you and keep reading!

Forever Young: don't worry, everything will through in the end . . . if I can ever get there, lol!

Anonymous but Impressed: thank you, yeah, i feel sorry for ALL of them as well, but I personally feel for Smoky, you know since he's based on my own dog and all. keep reading!

Frostbite-Obsessive Idiot: Kill Tod, heaven forbid! I can't do that, WON'T do that, the guy is in the title of the movie for pete's sake! but you have to understand, smoky thinks he's doing the right thing in doing this. but he'll get snapped back into reality, i have some supernatural events coming along sooner or later, so hang tight!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Four:** **Good Samaritan **

Copper woke to the rising of the sun, something that hadn't been seen in a while. Glad to feel the long-lost warmth of the sun, he rose on all fours and stretched himself awake. He looked down at what remained of his family—his wife Belle, poor dear had cried herself to sleep after Ace's funeral; his daughter, Beulah, was sleeping peacefully after a long night of trying to comfort her mother; and his remaining son, Smoky, was . . . gone?

Copper's senses came rushing into him and he became fully awake. Where was his son? He scanned his eyes around the yard and found no trace of Smoky anywhere. Where had he gone? Why did he leave? Whatever the reason, the hound decided he should go looking for him and make sure nothing else happened to the family.

* * *

Tod was beginning to believe he wouldn't hold out much longer. He was growing weaker by the minute, and the sun still hadn't fully risen. His mind flashed images of Swift getting killed in the woods, Vixey and the children getting attacked by a vicious predator, his own self dying a cruel death alone in the forest.

He kept himself propped up on the tree stump he had found, hoping it would help his airway stay unblocked. If he were to die right then, he wished he wasn't alone when he did it. Personally, he preferred not to die at all, but the odds were looking slim at that moment.

_Gotta keep myself awake_, he thought to himself. _If I go to sleep, I may not wake up._

He would have gone to sleep in fact, except that he heard something moving in the near distance in front of him. He slowly perked his ears up somewhat half-way in hopes of being able to distinguish what the sound was coming from. But he couldn't. He just prayed it wasn't a predator coming to have him for an early morning snack.

* * *

Copper had found a set of pawprints which, after analyzing them with his nose, turned out to be none other than Smoky's. They seemed to be maybe a half-hour old, so perhaps he was not too far behind him. The hound made his way through some bushes, but when he crossed the other side, his eyes widened in shock and surprise. What he saw . . . was a fox, bleeding from the neck, clutching to a tree stump for dear life. Why did the fox look so familiar . . . ?

"Tod?" Copper asked quietly after a second, not able to tear his eyes away from the terrible sight. Tod cracked his eyes open after hearing his name being called, and it took him a minute to register who he was talking to.

"Copper?" he said hoarsely. "That you, old buddy?"

"Oh my gosh!" Copper gasped, trotting over to his childhood friend. "What on earth happened? Who did this to you?"

Tod coughed a little bit. He didn't want him to know that it was his son that had done this to him. What father wants to hear that their child is a delinquent who goes around wounding innocent foxes? Besides, he highly doubted that Copper would believe the story anyway, so he replied,

"I don't . . . rightly remember. I was . . . walking along . . . minding my own business . . . when a strange creature that I'd . . . never seen before jumped out . . . and attacked me."

"Holy biscuits, Tod, you need help! You're going to bleed to death!" Copper cried. He could see that his friend was going fairly quickly, and he for one did not want to see his friend die in front of him. What could he do, what could he do?

Suddenly, a thought occurred to him. No, would it really work? Surely it would, how could it not work? It didn't matter, it was the only thing he could think of and if the person he was thinking of couldn't help Tod, then no one could.

Copper slowly managed to get Tod positioned to where he was lying across the hound's back as to where Copper would be able to carry him. Tod was too weak to even realize that he was being jostled about. The hound slowly turned himself around and headed in the direction that he had just come from . . . except he bore more northeast as he did so.

Yay, perhaps Tod won't die after all, ol' Copper's done found him! But what is Copper's plan, who does he have in mind for help? You'll have to keep reading to find out, so please review! yeah, and sorry if it takes me a few days to update, i have been SOOO busy with school and all, so be patient and i'll eventually finish this!!


	25. Tod's Homecoming

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Sorry for not responding to the reviews, but all of them were read thoroughly and very much appreciated! And sorry it took so long to get this chappie up! Yeah, supernatural events begin in the next chapter, so that should be interesting, so I hope you guys are still reading! I'll try to update again this week sometime!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Five: Tod's Homecoming **

The rooster crowed promptly on the farm at 6:00 that morning, as it always did. Widow Tweed awoke slowly, not too eager to crawl out of bed. Her feet hit the cold wood floor of her little farmhouse, as she had done for years. It seemed ever since Tod had being on his own in the forest, the floor seemed even colder.

She put on her housecoat and entered into the kitchen to make herself a fresh cup of coffee when she started hearing a scratching sound at her front door accompanied by some high-pitched whining. Curious as to what it could be, she headed in that direction and swung the door open. When she looked down, what she saw was one of Amos Slade's dogs and . . . no, it couldn't be.

"What on earth?" she cried softly. "But, it couldn't be . . . Tod?"

Copper whined some more when he figured the old widow had finally understood what the situation was. Widow Tweed bundled the wounded fox in her arms and off of Copper's back and wrapped him in a towel she had hanging nearby.

"Land's sake, what happened to you?" she asked him frantically. She looked down at the dog, mistakenly assuming that he had been the one to cause this. "You filthy old thing, get out of here! Go on, get out!"

Hurt and confused, Copper turned tail and galloped off towards the fence a little ways, pausing to watch the old woman take the fox inside the house. When he saw that Tod would be in good hands, he headed back for his own home, hoping that his old friend would be all right.

As he passed through the field separating the two territories, he came across the two graves of Chief and Ace. He prayed that there wouldn't be anymore added there in his lifetime.

"If only I could've saved them, the way I possibly just saved Tod . . ."

* * *

Widow Tweed quickly cleared off the table in the dining room and laid the fox on it, grabbing every towel and blanket in sight to help absorb the blood and keep him from going into shock. She had no idea how this could have happened, but whatever it was she was going to have to act fast. Taking a look at Tod's neck, she knew that she would have to sew him back together.

She grabbed her sewing kit from the living room and pulled some black thread out along with a needle. She was shaking badly, but somehow she managed to get the thread through the eye of the needle. As she began to fix Tod back together, she talked softly to him to try and calm him down in his state of fright.

"It's all right, now, Tod. I'm here, just like I always was. You little toddler . . ."

* * *

Tod didn't remember much of what had happened in the past few hours. He remembered vaguely that Copper had arrived at where he was practically bleeding to death, and then it seemed that the hound had somehow managed to carry him on his back, and before the fox knew what was going on, he was in someone's house. After that, his mind went blank.

He cracked his eyes open, allowing them to adjust to his new surroundings, and felt a sense of familiarity about it. The warmth, the feeling of love, memories . . . could it be? His eyes darted about the room he was in, recognizing the various pieces of furniture placed about. He noticed then that he was in a basket surrounded with blankets and soft pillows. Could it be? Could it be that he was back at his childhood home?

He heard some footsteps from the next room entering, and he tensed a little, not having been in contact with a human in so long. But when he saw who it was, he couldn't help but grin and weakly wag his tail.

"Well, hello, Tod. I see you decided to wake up," the widow smiled, giving him a short pat on the head, not sure how he would take it after being in the wild for so long. "You were out for a few hours, and you're pretty lucky to still be breathing. That was one nasty cut you had."

But Tod wasn't paying any attention. He couldn't understand her anyway, but the sound of her voice brought him such a feeling of comfort, that he fell into a deep sleep . . . and in the distance, the rains came.

awww, widow tweed and tod have been reunited, and tod is going to be okay! Keep reading to see how everyone else is doing in the story! and please review!


	26. Voice in the Dark

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Thanks! There's a little supernatural foreshadowing in this one, so I hope you enjoy!

SunRise19: I know, poor puppy, but at least Tod is in good hands now. Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you, it was pretty sweet wasn't it? Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Six: Voice in the Dark**

Swift had been travelling non-stop for several hours now. His leg was still giving him some problems, and he had pondered the possibility of resting—until he thought of Smoky, and that he didn't know how far behind him he was, and the young fox would keep going.

Food was already a problem. It had been quite a while since Swift had eaten, and he was starving. But what with his bum leg, it was difficult for him to catch any food. He may have been bigger, but they were faster!

"So much for being swift," he thought glumly, smiling a little at the stupid pun he made.

It was growing dark, unusual for the middle of the day, so he looked up in between the canopy of the trees and saw the dark clouds forming. A sprinkle fell from the sky and landed on his nose, causing him to sneeze. If it was going to rain, he was going to have to find shelter . . . and soon.

He came across a pile of logs and branches that were bunched together and found an open spot in between them. He figured it would have to do for temporary shelter, and immediately curled up and went to sleep.

* * *

Smoky was getting tired. He felt that he was getting closer to Swift with each step, but at the same time he felt as if he were getting farther away. Sometimes he felt that he should just turn around and head back towards home, just let it go. But no, he couldn't do that, he had to avenge his brother's death, had to redeem himself for what he believed was his fault. 

He had picked up on the fox's trail, getting himself excited that he was getting close. But then, the scent would get lost and he'd have to find it again . . . wasting precious time. He was in the process of picking it up again when he was interrupted by a rain drop falling on top of his head.

He blinked and looked up, not having noticed that dark clouds had formed over him. He must've been so concentrated in what he was doing that he failed to see that earlier. He felt a breeze pass, a sign that it would start to storm soon. And Smoky for one did _not_ want to be in the middle of a rainstorm, so he knew he would have to find somewhere to stay until it passed.

He looked around him, not seeing anything nearby that would be of any use to him. Boy, being out in these woods alone was kind of creepy. He had never been alone in the forest before, and frankly he wasn't enjoying it much. He missed being with his family, but he knew that he had to keep going . . . wait. What was that noise?

Smoky perked one of his long ears up in the direction that he heard the noise. It sounded like . . .barking? Distant barking? Why did it sound so familiar to him? No . . . it couldn't . . . that was impossible! He was dead!

"Uncle Chief?" he asked out loud, not hardly believing what he was hearing. But it was . . . he could recognize that bark anywhere. Half confused, and half thrilled, he took off running in the direction he was hearing the barking. "I'm comin', uncle, I'm comin'!"

He eventually came across an abandoned old shack, one that had possibly been deserted for years. Yes, he could really hear the barking now. It was coming straight from inside. Smoky busted open the door, tail all a-wag, and rushed in.

"Uncle Chief?" he asked excitedly, glancing here and there in hopes of seeing him. Imagine the disappointment etched across his face when nobody was there . . . except him. Confused, he trotted around, looking under the table, out the window, behind the door . . . nothing. "But—I heard him. I know he was here, I just heard him. There's no way I could've imagined that."

He heard the rain hitting the tin roof over him, a feeling of loneliness going through him, his hopes dashed. He sighed and went over to where some old newspapers were lying about, curled in a ball, and went to sleep . . . all the while wondering about that mysterious barking.

Whoa, is that freaky or what? Hearing your dead uncle in the middle of nowhere and then he suddenly disappears. Yeah, I freaked myself out just writing that, so anyways, more freaky stuff ahead, and not to mention more "survival tips" and then a character from the movie that I haven't yet written in yet. So, keep reading, and please review!!


	27. An Old Friend

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

The Next Political Dynasty: Hm, do you need some sleeping pills to help you out? Gotta love spookiness, I watched "The Grudge" in theatres last weekend, and was like "ooh, ghostly appearance!" Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Yeah, Halloween is tomorrow!! Or today, depending on what day you read this chappie! I love this holiday, I love ghosts and monsters and supernatural stuff!

SunRise19: You got it, he was leading him to shelter, isn't that sweet? Keep reading!

narfgirl: Glad you liked, and yes, ghostly appearances will be made, I can promise that!!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven: An Old Friend**

The morning seemed to come all too early to Tod. He felt he had only gotten a few hours of sleep when his inner clock went off and told him it was time to arise. But he couldn't get up, he was still sore from his minor surgery. Nevertheless, his brown eyes cracked open and welcomed the sight of the all-too familiar homestead of Widow Tweed.

Smiling to himself, he snuggled down deeper into his wicker basket bed, but perked his ears up when he thought he heard his name being called. Curious, he lifted his head and glanced around, yet saw nothing. Thinking that perhaps he was only hearing things, he shrugged and snuggled down again. _Then he heard it again._

This time, he half-way raised himself from the basket to give himself a better view of the house. _That's_ when he saw the flash of brown and white by the windowsill. At first, he had to ponder upon who it was, but when he recognized the kindly face of an old friend, he grinned.

"Big Mama?" he said raspily, his throat still sore from the incident.

"Tod, honey!" the motherly owl called from a half-opened window. "It's been such a long time since I've seen you, I was beginning to wonder if you were still alive!"

"I know, it has been a while, huh?" he answered, grimacing at the pain he felt as he spoke. "Say, where's Dinky and Boomer?"

Big Mama waved her wing in dismissal. "Aw, those boys flew south for the winter . . . two months early. I suppose they got bored around here without you to pick on anymore."

"Yeah," Tod replied, remembering those days as a cub when he had the three of them for playmates and personal advisors.

Big Mama glanced at him curiously, tipping her head over to the side. "You sound different, Tod, you don't sound like yourself. I know you're not growing old on me."

"No, I had a little . . . accident," he said slowly, a little reluctant to tell her the truth—that Copper's son had tore his throat apart and was now after his son. But then again, Big Mama had always done him good in the past, always being the motherly type, so he figured "why not?" and went head-first into the story, starting from the time the five children were kidnaped so very long ago up to the point when Tod last saw Smoky.

Big Mama stayed quiet through the entire tale, absolutely stunned at all the things that had been going on in her absence. To her, it sounded like history repeating itself—another Copper going after another Tod in another case of revenge and redemption. When Tod had finished his story, he took a deep breath and laid back down, worn out from the task. The owl shook her head slowly in shock.

"Well . . . that is quite an interesting situation, indeed," she finally managed to say. "So, Swift and Smoky both are running deeper into the woods all over a misunderstanding of events? Sounds to me like Copper's boy needs to get the story straight."

"I already tried talking to him, but he didn't believe me."

"Huh. Well, let's see, what can I do?" she thought out loud, squinting one eye shut and looking up at the sky with her opened one. "I got it! How would you like it if I found Swift and kept a look out for him. He's probably not used to being on his own in the forest, so maybe I should help him out a little."

Tod smiled warmly at the idea. "Would you really, Big Mama? That would mean a lot to me, I wouldn't have to worry about him."

"That's right, and the only thing you need worry about is getting better so you can get back to that growing family of yours."

"This means a lot to me, you know," Tod told her before she turned to fly away.

"Tod, you don't know this, but since the day I found you by that fencepost as a baby . . . I made a promise to keep you from harm, and that includes your family. Of course, I am going to keep an eye on your child. What kind of a mama would I be if I didn't?"

Awwww, that was a sweet (yet short) chappie, don't you think? I originally had not planned on putting Big Mama in the story, but after some thought I figured that Swift needed some help since I was going to have Smoky get some. I must be fair! Anyhow, hope you like and please review and keep reading!


	28. Spotted Demon

Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

Forever Young: thank you, yeah ghosts are cool, gotta love the supernatural. keep reading!

The Next Political Dynasty: you're about to find out, keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: glad you liked their chat, they kinda seem mother-son to me. kinda like chief and copper were father-son. keep reading!

SunRise19: thanks, hope you stay with me!

Cathy: she does annoy me, but i figured that swift needed some guidance, since i am going to have smoky getting some. keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Eight: Spotted Demon**

Swift had been awake for perhaps an hour by now, and was presently making his way through the forest . . . trying to put as much distance between him and Smoky as possible. He found a stream nearby and, having been deprived of water for a few hours, greedily drank from it. When he was done, he licked his muzzle to rid of the excess water dripping from his jaws and continued ahead to cross.

He made it to the other side safely enough, and shook his reddish coat in attempts to dry himself. When he was at last done, he pressed forward . . . but not before he noticed a set of footprints in front of him. Staring at the tracks, he drew his breath in, not sure how to respond. What he saw were a set of bobcat prints. There had not been a bobcat in the area in quite a while, and he wasn't even sure he'd ever seen one. His father had told him a story about a mountain lion once, referred to as a "devil cat" (a term he claimed he got from a friend), but he had never seen one of those either. He wondered briefly if the two creatures could be related, and the thought frightened him a little. He did _not_ want to come in contact with such a vicious, demon-like animal, so he hurried himself from the area promptly.

* * *

Big Mama flew across the treetops, in search of a lone red fox by the name of Swift. She had made a promise to Tod (and to herself) to find him and keep him out of harm's way and hopefully she would be able to do so. Wait . . . who was that? 

The owl glanced down towards the ground at what she believed looked like . . . no, what _was_ a red fox. Yes, that had to be Swift all right, no doubt about it. Big Mama changed her direction and headed down towards him.

"Swift! Swift!"

Why wasn't he answering? Most creatures answered to their name being called, or at least looked up and glanced around to see who it was. But this fox wasn't doing either! It simply stayed put where it was as it tried to . . . dig a hole?

"Swift?!" Big Mama called again, growing tired, and landing on a nearby tree branch. "Goodness, boy, you're about as stubborn as your father—"

"Excuse me, who are you talking to?" a young female voice asked from below. Big Mama stopped talking and looked down at the fox whom she thought was Swift. Instead of seeing a masculine face however, she saw a pretty female face, one etched with puzzlement.

"Why . . . who are you, deary?" the owl asked her, a little embarrassed at her mistake.

"The name's Loki, but who are you, and who are you trying to find?"

* * *

Smoky kept his nose to the ground, trailing his prey, getting closer and closer with each step he took. There was no doubt, Swift had been in this area. Yet, the scent was a little faint, so that meant that the fox had long been gone. Yet, the hound was determined to set his life straight—get redemption for supposedly killing Chief and getting vengeance for Ace's death. 

He went a few more steps when he suddenly stopped all together. He still had Swift's scent fresh in his mind, yet another scent was now mixed in with it. Puzzled at this new smell, he registered it into his mind on what it could be. Uncle Chief had taught him many, many scents when they all went out together in the forest, and at last the pup recognized what it was.

_Bobcat. A spotted demon . . . _

****Smoky had heard many a frightful tale of the more dangerous forest creatures. One that he remembered hearing about most of all was the "devil cat". His father and uncle had told a grand story involving a "devil cat" when he and his siblings were pups, and Smoky was quite intrigued with it. Still, he had always considered himself lucky never to have to tangle with one. He wasn't sure about "spotted demons"—Uncle Chief had said that they were smaller and shorter than "devil cats", with pointed ears, bobbed tails, and a spotted coat—hence their name.

A little anxious that he might come across this "spotted demon", he wasn't sure which direction he should go in order to avoid a chance meeting. He could either continue the way he was going, or take a side trip to the east. Confused on what to do, he sat on his haunches and looked up at the skies, turning orange-pink with the rising sun.

"A little help would be nice . . . a sign maybe? A hint? Anything?"

As if on cue, the wind began to blow from behind him, stirring up the leaves to his right—in the east. The fallen autumn foliage seemed to dance in the wind, almost inviting him to follow them. The hound sighed and said to himself,

"Okay, I can take a hint."

okay, not so much supernaturalness in this chappie, but don't worry there will be more to come I promise! Lol, just the thought of what I'm planning to do gives me the creeps, mwahaha. Hm, Big Mama found a girl fox, wonder if she'll be of any assistance? Keep reading and please review! although i don't know when i'll update next, i'm so busy with school and all, i think i'll try to update on saturday at the least. And Happy Belated Halloween to you guys!


	29. Boy Meets Girl

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

A/N: WHOA, so sorry for the long delay, but I have had tests and exams running out of my ears lately, what with it being the end of the semester and all. Final exams in 2 weeks, ugh. Anyways, here's the long awaited update, and sorry for not leaving notes to the reviewers.

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Twenty-Nine:** **Boy Meets Girl**

"Gotta . . . eat . . . something," Swift panted as he traveled along the stream bed, gazing intently into the water. He had tried, and failed, to catch a fish numerous times and he was beginning to feel a little depressed. He had never actually had to fend for himself before, and it was difficult catching your own food. Also, the fact that he was all alone was beginning to drive him crazy—alone save for the fact that Smokey was hot on his trail and that a bobcat was somewhere out there.

Swift continued along his way, pondering on how he was going to get a decent meal in his condition, when the sound of water splashing reached his ears. At first he tensed, thinking it may be a predator lurking nearby such as a bear or maybe even that bobcat. He pressed himself forward bravely and came upon some nearby bushes where he could hide and peek out safely to see who was making the racket. He gasped when he got a good look at what it was.

A fox, a _lady_ fox, was ankle deep in the water batting at a fish with her front paws, trying to capture it with her pointed claws. Her bright, healthy red coat glistened in the sunlight as it reflected on the water and her ears were pointed perfectly on her head as she concentrated deeply on what she was doing. Her fluffy tail swished back and forth as she kept her balance. Swift couldn't help but stare at her and watch her in action.

_Wow, she is gorgeous! And a good fisher-fox from the looks of it. Wow, I wonder what her name is . . . maybe I should go ask her. No, I couldn't do that, she would probably say she has a boyfriend already and tell me to back off. A girl as pretty as that one would have to already have a guy. But of course, miracles happen . . . _

With an air of confidence, Swift puffed himself up with a deep breath and walked out into the open behind the lady fox, who was still trying to catch her lunch. Not sure of how to get her attention, Swift nervously cleared his throat—causing the vixen to give a little jump and spin around to look at him.

_Boy, she's got some bright blue eyes!!!! _

The vixen stared at him in shock for a second, and Swift opened his mouth to say something but before he could utter a sound, the beautiful creature in front of him scowled and said, "And just _who_ do you think you are, sneaking up behind people and scaring them out of their minds??"

Swift was taken aback. "Wha–?"

"Don't you have any manners at all? I mean, good grief, you don't just _do _that! You made me miss my lunch!"

"I-I'm sorry . . . " Sheesh, _females_!

"Just exactly what were you doing back there, _spying_ on me? You pervert, don't you have anything better to do than sit there and watch me try to catch a fish? Men! The dumbest creature that Nature invented!"

Swift nearly dropped dead as he witnessed the object of his affection practically chew him out over something as little as merely observing her at work. What was the harm in that? Okay, maybe he should have spoken up sooner, and maybe he could have been more gentlemanly, but what the heck do females expect guys to do anyway?

"Look, I'm sorry, I didn't know," he apologized promptly. "I've never done this before."

"Done _what_ before?"

Almost bashfully he responded, "Um, talked to a . . . girl."

The vixen blinked at him in silence as if trying to figure out what he meant by that, then her face seemed to soften up a little. "Oh."

"Sorry if I bothered you, or freaked you out . . . I'll just be on my way."

With heavy heart, and a feeling of humiliation creeping up on him, Swift turned away from her and continued to walk along the shore line in the direction he had been going previously. But almost as soon as he turned, he heard the girl say,

"Wait a minute!"

He turned to face her, a little curious as to what she wanted, and much to his surprise saw her trotting up to him. She looked rather apologetic.

"Listen, I didn't mean to snap at you like that, you just scared me is all. I'm used to being alone, not many people come up and talk to me like that everyday."

"So, you're like a loner?"

"Sorta. Yeah, you could call it that. Anyways, let's start over. My name's Loki, what's yours?"

_Loki, what a pretty name . . . _ "Swift."

Loki's eyes widened a little bit at the sound of the name. _This is the fox that the crazy old owl was looking for!_ She wondered briefly why this fox was of such interest, to be sought after in that way. _Hm, a fox of mystery, I like that . . . _

Hm, so Swift finally meets Loki! It may have been a rough start, but I suppose things will get better. Obviously. Lol. Anyways, what will these two be up to in the future? And what will be the update in the supernatural category for Smoky? You'll have to keep reading, and please review!


	30. Loki's Story

1Disclaimer: The Fox and the Hound is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney Studios, not mine.

A/N: YAY, CHAPTER THIRTY! This is officially the longest story I have written so far. The second longest was 29 chapters, Against the Odds (Disney's Recess), so I'm glad I beat that record! And woo-hoo, 140 reviews, that's another record! The second most reviewed fic of mine was a Kim Possible fic (A December to Remember) with 115 reviews. So thank you all for reviewing this, although it is taking me an eternity to finish, and hope you all keep reading!

SunRise19: I like the name too! And thanks, I'm gonna need some help on those finals . . .

The Next Political Dynasty: Thank you, and now your wondering is over, b/c here is chapter 30!

Forever Young: Nah, she's not that bad, just had a rough life. As you'll see in this chappie, hopefully.

narfgirl: I'd freak out too, I hate it when people do that! Thanks, and I ALWAYS have fun writing! I just wish I had more time to do it.

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you kindly, although I really am a little embarrassed about this chappie for some reason. Maybe cuz it's short . . .

Cathy: OOPS! I didn't know that, I'm not familiar with all those gods and goddesses from ancient culture or anything. I really just know the ones from Disney's Hercules! Oh well, I doubt foxes know any of that, lol, but thanks for telling me anyway, that's kinda cool. bent on destroying the world, huh?

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Part Two: The Older Years**

**Chapter Thirty: Loki's Story**

"Are you hungry?" Loki asked when she heard Swift's stomach slightly growl.

"Yeah, sorta," he replied embarrassedly, having forgotten that it had been a while since he had eaten.

"You like fish?" she wanted to know, pointing one of her front paws at the creek. "There's plenty of it."

"Sure," he smiled, thankful at her offer. A good fish sounded pretty good about now. "Except . . . I don't know how to catch one."

Loki stared at him for a brief second then giggled. "Yeah right, that's a good one."

"No really, I don't know how to fish."

When she heard the serious tone in his voice, she stopped and let it register in her mind. "Are you serious? You've never fished?"

"Well, no. Not by myself anyway. My parents always helped out." _Great, now she's gonna think I'm some kind of loon that has to depend on mommy and daddy all the time._

"Oh. Sorry, I forget, I didn't have parents the whole time I was growing up. I had to learn on my own, so of course you haven't had any practice on your own."

Swift was a little shocked at the way she took it. "Yeah . . ." He suddenly wondered what had happened to her parents while she was young to force herself to be on her own, but he didn't dare ask. But he was shocked again when she turned around and said,

"Hunters got them."

FLASHBACK

_Winter. Cold barren winter. Our family was running short of food, and with me being a but a few months old, I wasn't expected to go out and find any for myself. Dad went out first and Mom stayed with me. A few minutes crept by and suddenly I heard a loud noise. I looked up at Mom and asked her what was wrong. She told me to be quiet and then we both heard Dad yelling for us to stay put and not to move. Mom got worried at this point, so she went out to find Dad. She told me to stay in the den and not to move no matter what. _

_Later I heard more loud noises and both my parents yelling at each other on what to do. And then . . . I didn't hear anything. All got so quiet, eerily so, and I didn't dare breathe. I eventually poked my head out of the den's opening to see if my parents were nearby. What I saw scared me to near death. I saw two strange looking creatures, whom I reasoned were the "humans" that I had heard my Dad talk about before, and they were examining my parents' two lifeless bodies on the ground. They exchanged words, but I didn't recognize any of it. Then I saw them hoist them both off the ground and head off from whence they came. I was frightened, I didn't know what to think. These guys were dragging off my murdered parents. How was I going to survive the winter without them? I didn't even get to say good-bye . . . _

END FLASHBACK

Swift was silent through the whole story, a little disturbed by it. He remembered when he was a cub, that time he was kidnapped by poachers, and he thought he would never see his parents again. He was lucky. Loki obviously had a rough time making it through, but it was also apparent that she did a good job taking care of herself.

"So, how about that fish, huh?" she said, trying to change the subject and break the melancholy mood that she had made.

Don't ask why I wrote that in, I just did. Sorry so short!Anyways, upcoming events include a fight, an accident, an interesting visit from the supernatural, and more! Please review, and I'll try to post a little sooner!


	31. Danger!

1Disclaimer: "The Fox and the Hound" is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney.

A/N: SOOOOOO sorry for the super long delay in updating!! I am now done with all my finals, and I had to move all my stuff out of the dorm, so now I finally have free time . . . until January 13! Woo-hoo!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Chapter Thirty-One: Danger!**

"So, Loki," Swift said after a minute, standing knee-deep in the stream. He had maybe missed about five different fish in the past ten minutes, and things weren't looking up for him. "Loki!"

"Hmm, what?" she finally replied, her mouth full with a huge trout. Swift just stared at her, trying to figure out what he was doing wrong. Loki carried her prize onto the shore. "What is it?"

"Uh, it's just that . . . I don't think the fish like me."

"Oh . . . my . . . gosh," she muttered slowly, her eyes rolling back into her head. "Of course they don't. You want to _eat_ them."

"I know, but how am I supposed to eat them if they don't stay still?" he wanted to know, just as another fish quickly escaped his paw. "I swear, I think it's a conspiracy against me or something."

"Here, let me help," Loki offered, stepping back into the water beside Swift. "Look, all you have to do is—HEY!!"

Swift had splashed water all over her face once she was beside him. He was trying hard not to collapse in the water from laughing at it. Loki gave him a hard look, but instead of lashing out at him, she started laughing too. In fact, she splashed him back!

"Gotcha!" she laughed, once she had him soaked.

"No fair, I'm gonna get you for that!"

"_Not if I get you first_," a deep voice came out from the bushes. Swift's ears perked up to their full height at the familiar voice.

"Swift, what was that?" Loki asked, edging farther back into the stream.

"Oh, boy. Uh, Loki, I kinda forgot to mention that I am on the run from this guy who mistakenly thinks I killed his brother."

"WHAT!"

That's when Smoky emerged from his hiding place. "I'm not mistaken about anything, Swift. I saw you there at the train tracks standing over and looking at my dead brother. You remember him, huh? Ace? You're old friend? The one you _murdered_?"

"Get out of here, Loki!" Swift instructed. He didn't want her to hear . . . or see . . . any of this.

"Swift, what is he talking about?" she demanded. "I'm not leaving until—"

**"**_Just go!_" he yelled. Loki looked a little hurt, but she did as she was told and bounded off to the other side of the creek and into the woods. But she _was_ going to watch the action.

"So you finally caught up with me, huh?" Swift growled, still standing in the water. "I was beginning to wonder if you'd ever find me."

"It would have been easier if you had just stayed in one place," Smoky snarled, stepping into the stream and started circling the fox. "Then neither of us would have had to go through the trouble of planning out this ridiculous cross-country trek."

"You still don't get it, do you? I'm running because I'm _innocent_. Why won't you understand that Ace's death was an accident? Just because you're all ticked off at yourself over Chief's death, is no reason to go after me to make yourself feel better."

Smoky's eyes suddenly glazed over and without warning struck out at the red fox. Moving quickly however, Swift missed his jaws and grabbed a hold of the hound's front paw. The dog yelped at the piercing of the fox's sharp teeth. While the dog was somewhat distracted, Swift bounded out of the water and onto shore, running into the woods. Smoky was now even more angry than before, and loped after him.

Swift agilely flew over the fallen branches and limbs that decorated the forest's floor. Smoky, being more bulky and heavier than a fox, clumsily plowed his way through, an angry mass on the rampage. And being much slower than a fox, he also lost him.

"SWIFT!" he yelled, hearing the echo all around him as he stood in the middle of the forest. "Where are you?! I know you can hear me, so hear _this_! No matter where you are, I am going to find you, and you will pay for _everything_!"

He heard his words coming back to him from all directions, and a chilly wind started to blow. There was no sign of Swift anywhere. He was probably long gone by now, off to join his little girlfriend somewhere, or whoever that other fox was. Smoky began to feel the effects of the loneliness edging in on him, and he didn't like it. It made him feel . . . lost. He didn't know where he was. He didn't recognize anything anymore. He wanted to go home . . . wherever that was.

He backed up a few steps, when suddenly he heard a creaking noise . . . from beneath him. Confused, he looked down at his feet and saw that the ground was coming out from under him. And he fell into a dark empty pit . . . and no body was around to help.

Dun dun dun, so the two enemies have finally met up again, and now Smoky is stuck in a pit! Will he get out? Who will help him? Will the bobcat show up, and what will happen with Swift and Loki? What about Swift and Smoky's damaged relationship? Will they patch things up? Will they find their way home? All these questions answered and more when I return, mwahaha!


	32. Guiding Light

1Disclaimer: "The Fox and the Hound" is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney.

The Next Political Dynasty: Be prepared to fall off the edge of your seat! Or not. Depends on how you take this chapter, so keep reading!

Sunrise19: Yeah, it did sound kinda Lion King-ish, huh? To me, every story involving death and revenge reminds me of that movie, strange huh? Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: Yes the Real World does get in the way doesn't it? But it does sometimes inspire my writing, so I suppose it's okay if it exists, lol. More drama on the way, keep reading!

Lone Wolfdog: Don't worry, he gets help in this chapter! Oooh, The Plague Dogs! I think I'm getting that for Christmas! I haven't read it yet, obviously, but it sounds great. I would watch the movie, but I can't find itanywhere. Yeah, I'm sure I'll cry through it too! Keep reading!

Forever Young: Yes, you did rhyme, lol! Yeah, I feel sorry for him too, but in my own twisted mind, I love dramatic dog stories.But then, to me, Old Yeller was dramatic, so maybe I'm not so twisted. Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Chapter Thirty-Two: Guiding Light**

_He will give His angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. Psalms 91:11_

Smoky felt an amazing pain surge through his body as he tried to lift himself to his legs. Dust covered most of his vision but he was well assured that he was at the bottom of a pit. Great. His own little Pit of Despair.

He coughed a few times before trying to move amongst the rubble, but his front leg got twisted on a log and he collapsed. Squinting his eyes open, he could tell that he was pretty deep in the ground. Almost like a grave. That comparison wasn't helping the matters out. The last place Smoky wanted to be was inside a grave. A cold, lonely, hole in the ground.

He perked one of his long ears up, hoping to hear approaching footsteps perhaps. But who on earth would know he was down there? There was no since crying for help. Who would hear? Swift for sure was long gone by now, and there was no way on God's green earth that _he_ was going to help him out. Not after what he'd been through.

A low whimper escaped his throat as he looked up at the trees above him. The day was closing to an end. Soon it would be dark. And this hole was dark enough as it was in the daylight. A chill passed through, sending a shiver down Smoky's back. He hoped it wouldn't rain on him.

He jumped when he heard a bullfrog croaking somewhere nearby, and was still shaking when he realized what it was. He watched the little amphibian burrow itself under a pile of twigs, and he never saw it after that. The hound tried to lie down as comfortably as possible, but it was hard to do with all the branches in his way.

A lone tear passed from the corner of his eye as he began to talk to himself. "Why? Why is all this happening? I didn't ask for it. I'm just trying to do what's right. Now I'm stuck in this pit, and I'll never see my family again. I failed. I'm so sorry Uncle Chief. I'm sorry Ace. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."

Smoky was so indulged in self-pity and misery, that he didn't notice that a bright light had appeared above him. The magnificent ball of radiance inched its way closer and closer to the despairing dog. It wasn't long before Smoky finally realized that he was enveloped with a white light, and he raised his head to see what was going on.

"Um, hello? Anybody there?" he asked nervously, a little frightened of a mysterious light suddenly beaming down on him.

"Hello, Smoky."

"WHOA!" Smoky yelped, not having expected a personal salutation. "How did you know my name? Who are you?"

"Come on, sonny," the voice seemed to echo. "Don't tell me you don't recognize me."

The confused pup squinted a little bit when the light died down a little bit so that he could see who he was conversing with. His brown eyes widened when he saw the stranger's face.

"U-U-Uncle Ch-Chief?" he stuttered, in shock and in fright. "B-but I thought you were d-dead!"

"Not really. When dogs die, sure they go to heaven and all, but they also get the task of becoming guardian angels. And it looked like you had turned this mess of yours into an even bigger mess, so I'm here to straighten you out."

Chief sat down, well not really sat down it was more like floating while on his haunches, and faced his nephew.

"Listen, kid. I know you mean well, going after the guy you think killed your brother, but the fact is, _nobody_ killed Ace. He died nobly for a good cause." He held up a paw when Smoky moved to comment. "I'm not done yet. Now, I'm not fond of foxes myself, but you don't go after a critter that you ain't gonna eat for supper. Now, that little story that Swift told you a few days ago about Ace running out in front of that train to save his little brother was true. Ace's leg got caught and he got hit. Nobody killed anybody.

"Furthermore, here's some personal advice. _Stop carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders_. It's not your responsibility to have to deal with all this emotional stress on your own. You don't have to avenge your brother's death, mainly because there is nothing to avenge, but just because it isn't your job to take care of it. Forgive and forget.

Smoky hung his head down. There's nothing worse than getting a morality lesson from a ghostly relative. In fact, it's down-right eerie. Chief knew the little pup felt bad, and was probably confused over the whole incident, but there was still more of his speech to go.

"And Smoky. I know that you think you're responsible for my own death . . . but you're not. My days were numbered long before you were ever born. Heh, actually I'm most responsible for my own death."

Smoky stared at him in disbelief. "What do you mean, you're responsible? You didn't kill yourself."

The angel dog chuckled a little. "No, but I was being mean and heartless and chasing a fox down the railroad tracks and nearly killed myself by running into a train. Yeah, I know, same thing with your brother, only I managed to live a few more years. No, Smoky, I died from the effects of that night, I had some bad kidneys after that, and I just finally died from it."

Smoky couldn't believe this. He was finally hearing the truth, and he realized he'd spent most of his life feeling guilty for stuff that wasn't even his fault. And he just wasted almost a week of his life on a wild-goose chase after Swift.

"But . . . why are you just now telling me this, Uncle Chief? Why didn't you tell me all of this sooner?"

"To tell you the truth, I was kinda hoping you would figure it out on your own. But you're so stubborn and thick-headed, and you wouldn't listen to anybody, so I figured that I may as well tell you while you're stuck in one spot for a while." He wrapped a front leg around his nephew and gave him a hug. "You're a good kid, Smoky, you just get yourself into the _biggest_ tangles I ever saw."

Smoky smiled. Yeah, he was a bit of a handful, wasn't he? He hugged his uncle back, knowing it would definitely be the last time he would ever get a chance to.

"All right, that's enough love," the angel kidded, slightly pushing the pup off him. "Hug me any harder, my wings will get all bent."

"But you don't have any wings."

Chief glared at him. "They're _invisible_, smarty pants." Then on a lighter note, "And I have a nice little halo to go with them, too. Now, stop getting me off the subject, we gotta get you out of this death trap." He thought about that for a minute. Sighing, he said, "Well, I guess I'm just gonna have to float you out. Close your eyes for a split second, I know you don't like heights."

_Heights? _He was down at the bottom of a pit, and he was talking about heights? What on earth did he mean _float you out_? Smoky didn't care, and frankly didn't want to argue with his uncle, so he did as he was told, and before he knew it, the whole thing was over.

He cracked one eye open. "Am I out yet?"

"Sure you are. Go on and open your eyes, son, there's nothing to worry about anymore. Well, except there's a bobcat running around in the woods somewhere. Them little demons are bad news, so I'd watch my back if I were you."

"All right, I will," Smoky promised. "Uh, Uncle Chief? How's . . . how's Ace doing?"

Chief chuckled. "Your brother's doing fine. He's enjoying himself immensely. He likes bouncing around on them clouds, and he's still taking his flying lessons, and he does miss everybody, but he'll get used to it all fairly quick. Now, you take care of yourself, Smoky, and watch out for the family. My time is up."

As he spoke these words, he seemed to be getting further and further away. The light around him was growing dimmer by the second. And before Smoky could say another word to him, the angel was gone.

Wow! Super cool, a visit from your own guardian angel! Will Smoky start turn to the path of righteousness, and go home? Will things ever be smooth between him and Swift? What does the future lie for Swift and Loki? All this coming up soon! Please review!!


	33. The Demon Strikes

1Disclaimer: "The Fox and the Hound" is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney.

The Next Political Dynasty: Thanks, sorry I made you fall out of your chair, lol! Keep reading!

Anonymous but Impressed: I thought you'd like that! Keep reading!

Frostbite-Obsessive Idiot: Glad you like Smoky again, he was just a messed up puppy! Keep reading!

Lone Wolfdog: You know, I thought that little line sounded familiar whenever I wrote it, but I guess I got it from Brother Bear! Oh well, it fit in anyway. Keep reading!

SunRise19: Glad you liked! Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Demon Strikes**

Just as the light disappeared from view, Smoky leapt towards it, not wanting to be left alone again. He skidded in the dirt with his nose, and he quickly jumped up and looked around him.

"Don't leave, Uncle Chief! Don't leave me here alone!" he pleaded, although he knew the angel was already gone. He sat down and looked mournfully at the ground. "I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused. I just want to go home. But where _is_ home?"

The wind blew and the leaves rustled to his right. He looked over to see the fallen foliage seemingly dancing in the wind, almost begging him to get closer to them. Smoky smiled a little bit.

"Whatever you say," he muttered to a certain spirit, and began his journey home.

* * *

Meanwhile, Swift and Loki had placed a lot of distance between them and Smoky. The fox didn't know what ever became of the hound, but he was thankful that he didn't get a chance to kill him. 

"I hope that crazy mutt doesn't find out what way we went," Loki remarked. "What a lunatic! It's not even hunting season and he wants to kill you anyway!"

"He's just confused, is all," Swift told her. "I actually feel sorry for him, if you can believe that."

"What do you mean, you feel _sorry_ for him?" Loki asked, her eyes widening at this statement. "Swift, the guy wants you dead. Why feel sorry for him?"

"It's just that I happen to know the guy, and I know why he's blaming me for it all. He's just all messed up, and doesn't know how to handle his emotional problems, so he's taking it out on me. Plus, I think he's trying to get redemption for a murder he _thinks_ he committed."

"Wait, this guy's killed before?"

"No, he just thinks he has. He thinks he's the reason his uncle died or something, so he feels guilty about it. And since he thinks I killed his brother, he's going after me in revenge _and_ to get forgiveness for his crime. He just doesn't know that neither of us are responsible for murder."

Loki thought about that for a minute or two, but something else caught her eye instead. She stopped dead in her tracks and stared at what was in front of them. "Uh, Swift," she whispered tensely. "If Smoky doesn't kill you, I have a good idea of who will."

Swift turned his head at her in a confused manner, then followed her eyes to what she was staring at. His knees almost buckled at what he saw. "Oh my gosh . . . a spotted demon."

A rather good-sized bobcat was standing in the path up ahead, and he had his evil eyes fixed on what he believed would make a good breakfast, lunch, _and_ dinner. He opened his mouth to let out a terrible yowling sound, causing the two frightened foxes to do the only thing they could do . . . run.

Dun dun dun, the bobcat has arrived and it seems to be craving fox finger sandwiches! Will Swift and Loki be able to defeat the spotted demon alone? Will Smoky somehow find out, and come to the rescue? Will Smoky and Swift become mutual friends again? And what about Tod, how's he doing with his injuries? Find out when we return!

_I wish you all a safe and Merry Christmas! Or Happy Hannukah, or Kwanzaa, or . . . oh forget it, Happy Holidays!_


	34. Unexpected Reinforcement

1Disclaimer: "The Fox and the Hound" is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney.

The Next Political Dynasty: Hope you had a Merry Christmas, too! Anyways, keep reading, and hope your writer's block goes away soon! I miss reading your stuff!

Anonymous but Impressed: Thank you, and now for the battle you have all been waiting for!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Chapter Thirty-Four: Unexpected Reinforcement**

"Loki, run uphill! I'll keep him off for as long as I can!" Swift shouted as the bobcat gained on them. He was frightened to death, but it was his responsibility to protect the two of them.

Of all the things Loki had ever gone up against, bobcats weren't one of them. So she was more than happy to put as much distance between them as possible! Swift ran with her for a couple of more minutes, then span around and confronted the demon head-on. The cat was shocked at first, that his prey was turning against him, but he wasted no time in attaching his claws to the fox's face.

Swift yelped in pain, feeling the blood running down his face, but he made a comeback by maneuvering himself to where he could grab a hold of the cat's right hind leg. Which wasn't that great of a move, because this allowed his opponent to apply his teeth to his tail and attack from _that_ direction. Swift bucked the cat off of him and dove in for the throat.

The spotted feline used all of his claws to tear into the fox's body as he was being choked. Swift couldn't take anymore of it. If this kept up, he would be shredded into fine strips of fox jerky. But he if gave up fighting with the cat, he would only have another enemy following his tail. If he kept up the fight, he would more than likely lose. What was a fox to do?

* * *

Smoky was walking along the path that his guardian angel had signaled for him to go down, when he suddenly got this strange feeling. He sensed it so strongly that it actually caused him to stop what he was doing. He seemed to get the hint that something wasn't right, and that somebody was in great pain. He didn't know why he was having this feeling, he just knew it was there and he felt he ought to check things out. But where? 

"Uncle Chief, if you're trying to tell me something, can you be a little less vague about it?" he said out loud, just in case the angel dog had something to do with this.

Almost as soon as he said it, a strong wind came from behind him. But along with the whistle sound it carried, Smoky also heard what sounded like a fight. It sounded like . . . some kind of cat maybe? And something else . . . oh no! It couldn't be!

"Oh my gosh, that sounds like Swift!" he gasped. "And he must be fighting that spotted demon!"

Smoky knew what he had to do. He had put Swift in enough danger as it was, plus he owed him a _major_ apology. And although the fox may still be mad at him for blaming him for killing Ace, he did used to be friends with the hound, and Smoky couldn't ignore that. So he turned himself in the direction he had just come from and ran faster than he'd ever run before.

* * *

Swift hit the boulder with a _thud_ after the evil demon had slung him into it. The fox wasn't holding up to well; in fact, he was losing. He hadn't put much of a scratch on the cat, but the feline had done a marvelous job in using those claws of his as he used Swift as his personal punching bag. 

Just when the fox was beginning to see images of his life pass before his eyes, an amazing thing happened. He heard the deep sound of a _Roof roof roof_, and before he knew what was happening, a huge black and tan hound had plowed himself into the cat.

The demon yowled, half in pain and half in shock. He was not expecting to battle a large dog. Smoky growled ferociously at his opponent, every hair on his body standing on end. The cat recomposed himself, forgetting about his fox prey. The dog was much bigger, and would last longer as leftovers. Perhaps when he was done killing him, he would come back for the fox.

Smoky lunged himself at the cat, burrowing him in the ground. The feline twisted himself around to where he was facing upwards and started to use his claws on the dog's belly area. Smoky yelped at the sharp pains and leaped off the raging wild animal. The cat jumped on Smoky's back and started to tear him apart from there.

Even with a crazy demon on his back, Smoky noticed the nearby river. It's current was much stronger than it had been whenever he had confronted Swift earlier. He also remembered that cats supposedly hated water. With the cat still on his back, Smoky loped crookedly towards the river and threw himself into the river. The cat, feeling the rush of cold water, panicked and let go of the dog, trying to swim back to shore. But the current was too strong, even for Smoky. He tried to get back to land, but there was no hope.

He heard a loud noise coming from up ahead, and he lifted his head out of the water to see what it was. If he hadn't been wet already, he would have wet on himself. There was a waterfall up ahead, and it looked like he and the cat were both going down it.

Oh no, Smoky is just now leading the path of righteousness, and it looks like he might break his neck going down a waterfall! Will Swift survive his injuries? Will Smoky survive the waterfall? Will things finally go back to normal for our heroes? Find out in the last and final chapter, coming soon to a website nearyou. heh heh heh


	35. What Are Friends For?

1Disclaimer: "The Fox and the Hound" is the property of Daniel P. Mannix and Walt Disney.

Frostbite-Obsessive Idiot: I pondered the Grandpa Versus Uncle thing for about a week before I wrote in the puppies for the storyline. I figured since Copper never called Chief "Dad", why should his kids call him "Grandpa"? And yeah, uncle just made more sense to me. Well, hope you enjoy the last chapter!

The Next Political Dynasty: Get off your knees, cuz here is the last chappie!! My Christmas ruled, except one of my presents is still on backorder (according to Momma), but I'm sure to get it next month. Errr. Ooh, hope you update soon, glad you got an idea!

SunRise19: I know, I loved this story, and I personally didn't want it to end either, but there is only so much you can do to a tormented dog and fugitive fox! Here's the last chappie!

Anonymous but Impressed: Actually, the finale in my opinion SUCKS. I couldn't quite get the words out to make it not seem so rushed to the end, but I did the best I could. So, hopefully it doesn't seem like it sucks too bad when you read it, but anyways, keep reading!

narfgirl: I always have fun writing, lol! Well, it took me a few months, but I finally finished the story before 2005 hit! Keep reading!

**The Fox and the Hound 3: The Next Generation**

**Chapter Thirty-Five: What Are Friends For?**

"Swift! Swift, are you okay? Talk to me!" Loki was screaming as she ran to Swift's side. "Oh my goodness, I thought you were going to get killed!"

"Wh-what happened?" he asked. "Where'd the cat go?"

"You're not gonna believe this, but that dog . . . that Smoky guy . . . he just flew in from out of nowhere and saved you from becoming that cat's next dinner!"

"He-he did?" Swift was in shock. Smoky had come to his rescue. Perhaps he had thought things over and finally came to his senses about the whole ordeal. "Where's he at? Where'd Smoky go?"

She looked hesitant to tell him. "Well, you see, he . . . he jumped into the river with the cat in order to drown him, but then . . . they both went over the waterfall. And personally, I don't think either of them made it."

"Oh no," Swift sighed, struggling to stand up. "He can't be dead. He just saved my life, he can't die just when he's made a turn for the better."

Swift limped towards the falls and overlooked the area below him. At first he couldn't see anything, but then he thought he saw a black dot. And the black dot was moving. It was Smoky! He was alive! Some how he had survived the falls after all.

And something about seeing him alive made his heart warm. Smoky didn't try to kill him this time. He _saved_ him. Maybe things would be better going from here on out.

Smoky was still coughing up a bit of water when he was standing up, and he looked upwards to see just how far down he had fallen. Instead, his eyes focused in on a red smudge that he saw nearby the mouth of the falls. He knew that it was Swift, had to be. Smoky smiled. He had saved Swift from getting killed by the demon. That was all the redemption he needed.

**Epilogue**

Everything, fortunately, had gone back to normal for both the hound and fox families. Smoky returned home without any trouble and was welcome back graciously. His mother, Belle, naturally began to cry when she saw that she hadn't lost another pup. Beulah, his sister, even gave him a hug and told him how much she missed him. Copper gave the pup a pat on the back, as if to say that everything was going to be okay now.

Widow Tweed had nursed Tod back to health completely. As much as she wanted him to stay with her at her farm, she knew that it would only be captivity for the fox. He was used to the freedom of the forest now, and he still had a family to take care of. So she gave him a hug, and let him go back to his home. Vixey was thrilled to see that her husband was all right. Her and the cubs, including Blaze and Autumn, had been extremely worried whenever he had not returned home.

As for Swift and Loki, they gave word to Big Mama that they were going to form their own family and set a life for themselves. They would eventually come to visit the family, but as for right now, they were going to strike it out on their own. In fact, Loki was already expecting a few cubs herself!

But nobody seemed to notice two important figures that remained hidden in the background during all of this. Overlooking Copper and his family from behind the fence, two voices could be heard conversing with each other.

"You reckon they're going to be all right, Uncle Chief?"

"Ace, I don't think we have anything to worry about anymore. Everything is the way it is supposed to be."

"Phew! There was a few times that I thought Smoky was going to be joining us up in heaven."

"Nah, he's still quite a few more years to go. I'll let _you_ teach him how to fly."

"You know, I think I'm getting the hang of these wings. I couldn't imagine not having them now."

"Yeah, I rather like floating around instead of wearing the pads off my feet." Pause. "But I sure wish you had been able to live a little longer than you did. You were just too young in my opinion."

"Aww, Uncle Chief, I don't mind! Besides, I kinda like having first-class tickets to watching everybody's lives. They _are_ going to be all right, aren't they?"

"Of course they are. They'll be just fine."

And with that, the two angelic beings ascended back into heaven in a blur of light, where they could enjoy the rest of their days in peace and contentment . . . positively sure that things were going to be smooth-sailing for their loved ones.

**The End**

And that was the grand finale to the family saga! Sometime or another, I'm going to get started on my "**Winter's Rising**" fic for this movie, which fills in the blanksduring that segment of the film whenever Copper was starting his training as a hunting dog. Prepare yourself for encounters with wolves, a little crossover with Bambi, and possibly a look into a hidden childhood. Stay tuned!


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